Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano: Difference between revisions

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The miracle of Lanciano is one of the most notable alleged eucharistic miracles.

In the city of Lanciano, Italy, around A.D. 700, a Basilian monk and priest was assigned to celebrate the Eucharistic sacrifice in the Latin Rite in the small Church of St.Legontian. Usually celebrating in the Greek Rite and using leavened bread and having been taught that unleavened bread was invalid matter for the Holy Sacrifice he was disturbed to be constrained to use unleavened bread and had trouble believing that the miracle of transubstantiation would take place with unleavened bread.

During the Mass, when he said the words of consecration (This is my Body...This is my Blood), he apparently saw the bread change into live flesh and the wine change into live blood, which coagulated into five globules, irregular and differing in shape and size (this number corresponds to the number of wounds Christ suffered on the cross: one in each hand and foot from the nails, and the wound from the centurion's spear). He was frightened and confused by the miracle, and stood a while as if in divine ecstasy, but eventually he turned his face to the congregation, and said "Behold the Flesh and the Blood of our Most Beloved Christ."

At those words, the congregation members ran to the altar and began to cry for mercy. This miracle proved to him that unleavened bread was acceptable matter for the Holy Sacrifice. Years later other Basilian monks stole the documentation that was in the archives of the parish church. The Byzantine rejection of unleavened bread eventuated in the schism of 1054 that started out as a disagreement concerning the "azymes" between Patriarch Michael Keroularios and Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida acting for the already deceased Pope Leo IX.

Various ecclesiastical investigations have been conducted upon the miracle since 1574, and the evidence of the miracle remains in Lanciano to this day. In 1970-71, Professor Odoardo Linoli, eminent Professor in Anatomy and Pathological Histology and in Chemistry and Clinical Microscopy, and Professor Ruggero Bertelli of the University of Siena, conducted a scientific investigation into the miracle. The report was published in Quaderni Sclavo di Diagnostica Clinica e di Laboratori in 1971, and reaffirmed by a scientific commission appointed by the Higher Council of the World Health Organization in 1973.[1]

The following conclusions were drawn:[2]

The Flesh of the miracle is real Flesh and the Blood is real Blood.^{[citation needed]}
The Flesh and the Blood belong to the human species.^{[citation needed]}
The Flesh consists of the muscular tissue of the heart, which would be highly unlikely to "fake", given that only an expert hand could have done it, and not without serious difficulties. ^{[citation needed]}
In the Flesh we see present in section: the myocardium, the endocardium, the vagus nerve and also the left ventricle of the heart for the large thickness of the myocardium. The Flesh is a heart complete in its essential structure.
The Flesh and the Blood have the same blood type, AB^{[citation needed]}, which is also the same blood type found on the Shroud of Turin ^{[citation needed]}and all other Eucharistic Miracles.^{[citation needed]}
In the Blood there were found proteins in the same normal proportions (percentage-wise) as are found in the sero-proteic make-up of the fresh normal blood.^{[citation needed]}
In the Blood there were also found these minerals: chlorides, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium.^{[citation needed]}
There is no trace whatsoever of any materials or agents used to preserve the Flesh or Blood.^{[citation needed]}

The Flesh and Blood of the miracle can still be seen today. The Host-Flesh, which is the same size as the large Host used today in the Latin Church, is fibrous and light brown in colour, and becomes rose-coloured when lighted from the back. The Blood consists of five coagulated globules and has an earthly colour resembling the yellow of ochre.

Pictures and documents

Live photo
rear-lighted panel (side)
rear-lighted panel (front)
scientific recognition (18 November 1970)
scientific recognition (4 March 1971)
Document by Prof. Ruggero Bertelli
Related article on L'Osservatore Romano
Places with other similar miracles

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 The following conclusions were drawn:[http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/lanciano.html]
-* The Flesh of the miracle is real Flesh and the Blood is real Blood.
+* The Flesh of the miracle is real Flesh and the Blood is real Blood.{{Fact|date=May 2009}}
-* The Flesh and the Blood belong to the [[human]] species.
+* The Flesh and the Blood belong to the [[human]] species.{{Fact|date=May 2009}}
-* The Flesh consists of the muscular tissue of the heart, which would be highly unlikely to "fake", given that only an expert hand could have done it, and not without serious difficulties.
+* The Flesh consists of the muscular tissue of the heart, which would be highly unlikely to "fake", given that only an expert hand could have done it, and not without serious difficulties. {{Fact|date=May 2009}}
 * In the Flesh we see present in section: the [[myocardium]], the [[endocardium]], the [[vagus nerve]] and also the [[left ventricle]] of the [[heart]] for the large thickness of the myocardium. The Flesh is a heart complete in its essential structure.
-* The Flesh and the Blood have the same [[blood type]], AB, which is also the same blood type found on the [[Shroud of Turin]] and all other Eucharistic Miracles.
+* The Flesh and the Blood have the same [[blood type]], AB{{Fact|date=May 2009}}, which is also the same blood type found on the [[Shroud of Turin]] {{Fact|date=May 2009}}and all other Eucharistic Miracles.{{Fact|date=May 2009}}
-* In the Blood there were found [[proteins]] in the same normal proportions (percentage-wise) as are found in the [[sero-proteic]] make-up of the fresh normal blood.
+* In the Blood there were found [[proteins]] in the same normal proportions (percentage-wise) as are found in the [[sero-proteic]] make-up of the fresh normal blood.{{Fact|date=May 2009}}
-* In the Blood there were also found these minerals: [[chloride]]s, [[phosphorus]], [[magnesium]], [[potassium]], [[sodium]] and [[calcium]].
+* In the Blood there were also found these minerals: [[chloride]]s, [[phosphorus]], [[magnesium]], [[potassium]], [[sodium]] and [[calcium]].{{Fact|date=May 2009}}
-* There is no trace whatsoever of any materials or agents used to preserve the Flesh or Blood.
+* There is no trace whatsoever of any materials or agents used to preserve the Flesh or Blood.{{Fact|date=May 2009}}
 The Flesh and Blood of the miracle can still be seen today. The Host-Flesh, which is the same size as the large Host used today in the Latin Church, is fibrous and light brown in colour, and becomes rose-coloured when lighted from the back. The Blood consists of five coagulated globules and has an earthly colour resembling the yellow of ochre.