Vatican launches task force to crack down on fraudsters as ‘mystic’ claims Virgin Mary gives her free pizza
- Gisella Cardia, 53, draws huge crowds to her monthly trances in Trevignano
- Vatican sets up task force to crack down on mystics who ‘can easily fool people’
The Vatican is cracking down on “mystics” who claim to communicate with the Virgin Mary after a woman gains hundreds of followers with claims that the Madonna bakes pizza for free.
Gisella Cardia, 53, has drawn huge crowds to her monthly trances on a hilltop in Trevignano near Rome, where she stands in front of a statue of the Madonna she claims is shedding tears of blood.
The Sicilian claims she can hear the mother of Jesus Christ and writes down the revelations in a trance, before reading them to the assembled crowd.
Cardia, who has been convicted of fraudulent bankruptcy, was watched by about 250 devotees during her last trance. The times.
Now the papacy has created a task force to deal with the rising number of mystics claiming to be able to speak to Mary, saying Cardia’s credentials will be investigated.
Gisella Cardia, 53, has drawn huge crowds to her monthly trances on a hilltop in Trevignano near Rome
The mystic Madonna figure came from Medjugorje in Bosnia, which has been a pilgrimage site since six children claimed to have seen visions of Mary there in 1981.
Sister Daniela del Gaudio, the head of the Vatican task force, said the group itself would not specifically study Cardia, leaving that to a commission set up by a local bishop.
One of the mystic’s claims was that she witnessed the unfathomable multiplication of pizzas and gnocchi portions prepared for her followers – harking back to the biblical story of feeding the 5,000.
Sister del Gaudio rejected the claim, saying, “When the Saints multiplied food, it was for a real need in times of famine and above all they did it with great humility.”
Cardia has hit back at her critics, saying, “They accused me of everything: blasphemy, heresy, even prostitution.”
She has been ordered by the local mayor to remove a marquee and benches for her audience that had been placed on the hill without permission, as well as her statue of the Madonna.
The mystic defiantly proclaimed, “I never fled and I intend to stay here.”
More people attend Cardia’s events than mass at the local church, Trevignano residents claimed.
The pope has cast doubt on alleged apparitions in recent years, saying such events in Medjugorje “do not have much value”
Her Madonna figure came from Medjugorje in Bosnia, which has been a pilgrimage site since six children claimed to have seen visions of Mary there in 1981.
Worshipers gather at the site where Cardia experiences trances and claims to communicate with the Virgin Mary
The ‘mystic’ has been ordered by the local mayor to remove a marquee and benches for her audience, which had been placed on the hill without permission
More people attend Cardia’s events than mass at the local church, Trevignano residents claimed
Madonna statues are also said to have wept blood before, with instances of the bizarre phenomenon reportedly taking place in Civitivecchia, north of Rome and Argentina.
The pope has expressed doubts about alleged apparitions in recent years, saying such events in Medjugorje “do not have much value.”
While the Catholic Church is eager to encourage the worship of the Virgin Mary, it is increasingly concerned about scammers and wants to help believers who are “easily fooled.”
The task force is being set up by the Vatican’s Mariana Internationalis Pontifical Academy, led by Italian priest Stefano Cecchin.
He said something should be done about the rise of Madonna mystics because they “cause confusion, promote apocalyptic scenarios and even accuse the Pope and the Church.”