Italian mystic' faces fraud trial over claim Virgin Mary statue wept blood

"A self-styled mystic who drew hundreds of pilgrims to a town near Rome by claiming a statue of the Virgin Mary wept tears of blood has been sent to trial for alleged fraud. Gisella Cardia, who also claimed the statue was transmitting messages to her, will be tried along with her husband, Gianni Cardia, in April next year. They are accused of staging fake apparitions of the Virgin Mary and making false predictions of catastrophes to attract donations from their Catholic followers."

"Cardia drew hundreds of people each month to Trevignano Romano, a lakeside town near Rome, to pray before the statue, which had been placed in a makeshift shrine on a hill. Over several years, the alleged scam generated 365,000 (322,000) in donations from the pilgrims, who believed their money would go towards setting up a centre for sick children. Cardia is also accused of making false predictions,"

"including claiming the statue warned her that the devil was concocting disasters, for example an earthquake that would destroy Rome and the takeover of the Catholic church by communism. Prosecutors in the port city of Civitavecchia opened an investigation in 2023 after a private investigator claimed the blood on the statue came from a pig. Cardia was later declared a fraud by the Catholic church, which subsequently tightened its rules on supernatural phenomena as part of a crackdown on scams and hoaxes."

Gisella Cardia claimed a statue of the Virgin Mary in Trevignano Romano wept tears of blood and transmitted messages, drawing hundreds of pilgrims monthly to a makeshift hilltop shrine. She and her husband, Gianni Cardia, will be tried in April accused of staging fake apparitions and making false catastrophe predictions to solicit donations. Over several years the scheme allegedly generated €365,000 (£322,000) from pilgrims who believed funds would create a centre for sick children. Cardia reportedly claimed the statue warned that the devil was concocting disasters, including an earthquake that would destroy Rome and a communist takeover of the church. Prosecutors opened an investigation after a private investigator said the blood came from a pig, and the Catholic church later declared her a fraud and tightened rules on supernatural phenomena.

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