'Weeping' Virgin Mary's Tears Were Olive Oil, Investigation Underway

A Virgin Mary statue in a New Mexico church started "weeping" recently raising questions about the unnatural phenomenon. Many believe the tears of the "weeping" Virgin Mary statue — located at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Hobbs — is a hoax.

On Monday, the sculpture underwent a chemical analysis that determined the tears were “a scented olive oil.” An investigation is underway to determine whether there was a natural cause behind the liquid that was flowing down the eyes of the sculpture.

“Some of the witnesses claimed it smelled of roses,” Bishop Oscar Cantu, of the diocese, told local daily newspaper Las Cruces Sun News. “So something similar to the oil I bless and consecrate each year that we use for baptism, for confirmations and for ordination of the priests.”

The diocese also examined the interior of the statue and determined nothing inside the hollow bronze statue was irregular. “There’s nothing on the interior that’s not supposed to be there, except for cobwebs,” Cantu told the news outlet. “So we took pictures; we examined it.”

Cantu said claims of the tears being a hoax is also being investigated, but, “even if it were (a hoax), we are not sure how it would be done, physically. Because it is hardened bronze. We’ve examined the interior, and there’s nothing on the interior.”

The diocese also contacted the manufacturer of the sculpture, located in Mexico, to find out more about the statue.

While there is a possibility the church might conclude the tears are supernatural, Cantu said it also needs to be clarified if they are from God or an evil spirit. The diocese reportedly said that people who have engaged with the sculpture recently have claimed of having “beautiful, positive fruits” in their life since their encounter.

“I’ve read most of those written testimonies, and they are stories of tremendous faith, people who have been dealing with terrible suffering in their lives and have felt a tremendous spiritual consolation that Mary walks with us in our tears,” Cantu told the Sun News. “I can’t help but think of my own shedding of tears for the poor people who come to our border, fleeing life-threatening situations. The tears of those children who are separated from their parents. There are many reasons we would shed tears, and God stands with us in those moments.”