Trevignano: The DNA found on a Madonna statue, which was claimed to have miraculously wept blood and been involved with Marian apparitions, has been identified as belonging to the self-proclaimed ‘seer’ who conducts gatherings in a lakeside village north of Rome. This revelation was made by a forensic expert, as reported by la Repubblica on Monday.
According to Ansa News Agency, a year ago, the Vatican’s doctrinal authority validated a decree by a local bishop, which stated that the alleged Madonna sightings in Trevignano were not of a supernatural nature. The decree cautioned believers against organizing or attending events at the purported apparition site.
On June 27, 2024, the Vatican Department for the Doctrine of the Faith affirmed the “juridical validity” of the decree issued by the bishop of Civita Castellana, Msgr. Marco Salvi. The decree, originally issued on March 6, declared that the alleged Marian apparitions were not supernatural. Msgr. Salvi advised the faithful to refrain from participating in gatherings that might assert the supernatural authenticity of the events at Trevignano.
The decree specifically addressed Gisella Cardia, a local self-described soothsayer, instructing her to cease summoning people to a hillside where the alleged fake apparitions were said to occur monthly. Cardia, a 55-year-old woman from Sicily, began hosting the events after relocating to Trevignano following a suspended sentence for bankruptcy related to her failed ceramics business in 2013.
Cardia claimed to relay messages from the Madonna, including warnings of Satan-induced catastrophes such as an earthquake destroying Rome and a Communist takeover of the Catholic Church. Known previously by her birth name, Maria Giuseppa Scarpulla, she established a makeshift shrine featuring a statue of Mary, which she claimed wept blood. The statue, purchased at the Medjugorje shrine in Bosnia, was later dismantled on orders from Church and police authorities.
Despite the findings, Cardia remains resolute, telling reporters, “the Madonna is with me,” during her monthly gathering at Trevignano. Surrounded by bodyguards and video personnel to prevent media access, she declared her intention to remain steadfast, stating, “I intend to stay here and I won’t budge an inch because I’m in the house of God and I have the Madonna on my side.”
In May of the previous year, the Vatican reinforced its stance on apparitions and statues claimed to weep blood, asserting that only the pope has the authority to determine their supernatural nature.
