But they are satisfied the peculiar events are no flimsy hoax. These are things you have to live with, even though we don't like to do that in this day and age. Mass. Rev. F. Stephen Pedone, a canon law expert for the diocese, said there are only a handful of such investigations under way in the entire church. The girl has been comatose since she nearly drowned at age three in a backyard swimming pool. Visitors to her Worcester home say statues of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary appear to weep as they inexplicably ooze oil.
Some visitors say the girl takes on the suffering of others and helps rid others of ailments.
At a news conference Thursday, the investigators said they witnessed the oozing of oily liquid from statues and saw red, blood-like stains on hosts. They said laboratory tests identified a sample purportedly taken from a host as human blood from someone other than a family member. The investigators said they will continue to study the evidence and conduct more laboratory tests of religious objects in the home. They have no deadline to complete their work. Madonna said they may never be able to explain the happenings as either natural or divine.