The Catholic Church Officially Recognizes Eucharistic Miracle in Kerala, no blood or tissue are present—but a radiant, unmistakably human face appears in a host. The announcement follows a 12-year investigation.
Newsroom (05/22/2025 10:10 AM, Gaudium Press) The Catholic Church has officially recognized a Eucharistic miracle that took place in Kerala, India, where the face of Jesus was seen in a consecrated host during a Mass in 2013. The announcement comes after a 12-year investigation.
More than a decade after an extraordinary phenomenon occurred during a morning Mass in a small rural church in the hills of Kerala, southern India, the Vatican has officially recognized the Eucharistic miracle that took place at Christ the King Church in Vilakkannur on November 15, 2013.
It was an ordinary Friday—until something profoundly unexpected happened. When Fr. Thomas Pathickal raised the consecrated host during the consecration, a mysterious image began to appear. What started as a faint mark became radiant, gradually forming what unmistakably looked like a human face. The priest paused. The faithful knelt. Now, eleven and a half years later, Archbishop Joseph Pamplany of Tellicherry returned to the same church to announce what many in the region had long believed: the Holy See has officially recognized the phenomenon as an authentic Eucharistic miracle.
The declaration was relayed by Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, apostolic nuncio to India, and will be solemnly proclaimed during a special Eucharistic celebration on May 31, presided over by the nuncio himself.
The Vatican’s recognition
The Vatican’s recognition adds the Vilakkannur miracle to a sacred and exceptional list of events in the Church’s history that defy natural explanation but deepen spiritual conviction. Most documented Eucharistic miracles have involved bleeding hosts, with scientific testing often revealing human heart tissue and blood type AB—matching the findings of the Shroud of Turin.
The Vilakkannur case is different: there was no blood or tissue—only a radiant, unmistakably human face appearing in the host. Witnesses identified the image as the face of Christ, and over the years, it has drawn thousands of pilgrims. In the days following the 2013 Mass, the small village was flooded with visitors. Roads were congested, and police were called in to manage the crowds. The phenomenon sparked fervent devotion, while Church authorities discreetly safeguarded the host and launched a thorough theological and scientific investigation, in line with Vatican protocols for discerning supernatural claims.
“The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is a dogma, not a conclusion drawn from signs”
Between 2018 and 2020, the host was returned to Christ the King Church for public veneration. It was then entrusted to the then-apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro.
The decision to recognize the phenomenon as miraculous came only after years of analysis, prayer, and patient discernment. But as Archbishop Pamplany emphasized, miracles are not necessary for faith. “The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is a dogma, not a conclusion drawn from signs,” he said during the announcement.
“A miracle can help awaken or rekindle faith, but the truth of the Eucharist rests on Christ’s own words.” Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reaffirms that in the Eucharist, Christ is “truly, really, and substantially” present—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Every Mass is, in essence, a miracle, even when our senses perceive nothing unusual. But history shows that, at times, God chooses to touch our senses.
The Vilakkannur miracle joins others such as the one in Lanciano in the 8th century, Bolsena in 1263, and more recent cases in Buenos Aires (1990s), Tixtla, Mexico (2006), and the Polish towns of Sokółka and Legnica (2008 and 2013). In each instance, the miracle did not change theology—it illuminated it. What sets Vilakkannur apart is the subtlety of the sign. No blood, no scientific drama—just a silent revelation. In the face seen in the host, many felt Christ was gazing at them.
With information from Aica.
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