Beltangady: Idol of St Thomas in St Lawrence Church Shedding Tears?

Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)

Beltangady, Sep 24: Some sort of liquid appears to have flown out of the idol of St Thomas in St Lawrence church located by the side of the Bishop's House here. The entire taluk is agog with rumours that Lord Jesus has wept. However, the Bishop's House has refused to issue any official statement on the issue.

This church was inaugurated about 18 months ago. The church is noted for excellent and rare architectural elegance, beautiful artistry and attractive sculptures.

The cement idol of St Thomas, located above the altar of the church, has provided fodder to lot of discussions. Tears appear to have rolled down both the eyes of the statue, and after crossing the beard, the liquid mixed with the colour of the statue, has trickled down onto the hands and the scapular of the statue.

At the time of the mass on Sunday September 21, the concerned used a ladder to go up and verify closely, as from a distance, the hand of the statue appeared to have developed cracks. Although it was noticed that it was in fact, a liquid that had flowed down the eyes, the church authorities preferred not to leak this information. However, by Tuesday September 23, the news spread like wild fire.

Fr Jose Valiaparambil refused to confirm the incident. "We cannot give any information without thoroughly verifying. As this is a holy place, it is difficult to verify the facts," he reacted.

Various theories are making the rounds here. The liquid till it reaches the beard portion, looks like light blue and thereafter, it appears to have acquired the colour of the beard. People are busy discussing the happenings, some claiming it to be a divine happening while others trying to view the development from scientific angle.

Bishop Lawrence Mukkuzhi confirmed that the incident in fact, had occurred. However, nothing can be said until it is subjected to thorough verification and scrutiny, he added.

It may be added that St Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus, is believed to be the first person to introduce Christianity to India. The Beltangady diocese has also declared St Thomas as its patron.