Atheist Blog

Miracles case load
subject : Lourdes
(Information from DOXA Christian thought for the 21 century web site)

There have been 66 official proclamations of miracles at Lourdes ,France. Their of course have been many more claims however the requirements did not make it for the documentation was too hard to get . There have been 6500 individuals reporting cures to the medical Bureau .Of that at least 2500 cases are considered truly remarkable . They however lack some needed requirements to advance to the next stage . (witnesses, lack of agreement on the nature of the ailment )
In the last 24 years there have been about 20 cases reported .Jean-Pierre Bely was the 66th case approved . It was officially recognized by ecclesiastical authorities .
The Process of verification has 3 stages .
1. The cured person must be examined at the Lourdes Medical Bureau .Established in 1883 the Medical Bureau receives testimony of the cured person ,of the doctor and of those who accompanied the person to Lourdes . After the preliminary examination the person is asked to return to Lourdes a year later for another examination . Many cases remain at the first level because of the difficulty of gathering the previous medical reports.A frequently this occurs with people who come from underdeveloped areas .
2. Cases passed to international Bureau
Established in 1946 ,this bureau consists of medical doctors ,psychiatrists and experts in specific diseases . The infirmity must have been serious and considered impossible to cure .No medication or treatment must have been given ,which could possibly have caused the change .The cure must be sudden and complete with no relapse . In a word a cure must be unexpalinable .No human or natural factor could have affected the cure. (The doctors of Lourdes describe it using the words "unexplainable cures " and not "miracles")The case is then referred to the Bishop of the diocese in which the individual resides .
3.Investigation by Diocesan Canonical Committee
Final words belong to the Bishop of the Diocese .

Jean-Pierre Bely's case (# 66 )
In 1984 Jean Pierre Bely was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ,and by 1987 he was completely paralyzed .He was brought to Lourdes on a stretcher in 1987 as a participant in the October Rosary pilgrimage .On the final morning of the pilgrimage ,Mr. Bely was anointed with the sacrament of the sick . He felt a "sensation of coldness" as followed by "a gentle warmth " that seemed to fill his body ."Later I took my first steps just like a baby who is learning to walk"

Many atheists claim that we don't raise the bar high enough when it comes to miracles . As you can see with 66 miracles approved at Lourdes compared to the 6500 claims that is not the case at Lourdes . Stay tuned for the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano in my next as we continue with my atheist blog .