Diocese of St. Rose of Lima investigates alleged Eucharistic miracle

Bishop José Cayetano Parra of the Diocese of St. Rose of Lima has assembled a multidisciplinary team to investigate an alleged Eucharistic miracle in Cuilapa, Guatemala. The investigation follows reports that a consecrated host failed to dissolve in water and developed reddish stains.

The events began during a Mass on July 30 at a school in Cuilapa. A priest noticed a student had removed the Eucharist from his mouth and retrieved the host to prevent it from being dropped. The priest later placed the host in a glass of water in the cathedral rectory chapel, intending for it to dissolve naturally. On August 6, observers noted the host had not dissolved and instead showed red marks.

Father José Alejandro García, parish priest at the Cathedral of the Child Jesus, stated that the investigative team includes a biologist, a physician experienced in similar cases, a psychologist, a nurse, a layperson from the local community, and a priest from outside the local parish. The team aims to determine if the reddish stains are blood and to examine why the bread exhibits certain human characteristics.