Lourdes: that's why miracles are true

Dr. FRANCO BALZARETTI

Member of the Lourdes International Medical Committee (CMIL)

National Secretary of the Italian Catholic Medical Association (AMCI)

THE HEALINGS OF LOURDES: BETWEEN SCIENCE AND FAITH

Among the first to rush to the cave of Massabielle, there is also Catherine Latapie, a poor and rude peasant woman, who was not even a believer. Two years earlier, falling from an oak, a dislocation had occurred in the right humerus: the last two fingers of the right hand had been paralyzed, in palmar flexion, due to the traumatic stretching of the brachial plexus. Catherine had heard of the prodigious source of Lourdes. On the night of March 1, 1858, he arrives at the cave, prays and then approaches the source and, moved by a sudden inspiration, he plunges his hand into it. Immediately his fingers resume their natural movements, as before the accident. He quickly returned home, and the same evening he gave birth to his third son Jean Baptiste who, in 1882, became a priest. And it is precisely this detail that will allow us to ascertain the exact day of his recovery: by far the first of the miraculous healings of Lourdes. Since then, more than 7.200 healings have occurred.

But why so much interest in the miracles of Lourdes? Why has an International Medical Commission (CMIL) been established only in Lourdes to verify unexplained healings? And ... again: is there a scientific future for the healings of Lourdes? These are just some of the many questions that are often asked by friends, acquaintances, men of culture and journalists. It is not easy to answer all these questions but we will try to provide at least some useful elements that can help us dispel some doubts and better understand the "phenomenon" of the healings of Lourdes.

And someone, a little provocatively, asks me: "But are miracles still happening in Lourdes?" Also because it almost seems that the healings of Lourdes have become rarer and more difficult to demonstrate.

However, if we are attentive to the most recent cultural-religious trends and to the media, we can instead detect a spread of conferences, newspapers, television programs, books and magazines that deal with miracles.

We can therefore say that the theme of miracles continues to make audiences. But we must also note that, in judging these supernatural phenomena, some stereotypes are often used: positivist denial, fideist credulity, esoteric or paranormal interpretation etc ... And this is where doctors intervene, sometimes questioned, perhaps even out of turn , to «explain» these phenomenologies, but which however are indispensable for the ascertainment of their authenticity.

And here, since the first appearances, medicine has always played a fundamental role for Lourdes. Firstly towards Bernadette, when a medical commission chaired by dr. Dozous, a doctor from Lourdes, ascertained its physical and mental integrity, as well as, later, towards the first people who had benefited from the grace of healing.

And the number of people recovered continued to grow incredibly, so, in each reported case, it was necessary to carefully discern the objective and the objective.

In fact, since 1859, Prof Vergez, associate professor of the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier, had been in charge of a scrupulous scientific control of the healings.

He was then succeeded by dr. De Saint-Maclou, in 1883, who founded the Bureau Médical, in its official and permanent structure; he had in fact sensed that, for every supernatural phenomenon, scientific confirmation was indispensable. Then the work continued dr. Boissarie, another very important figure for Lourdes. And it will be under his presidency that Pope Pius X will ask to "subject the most striking healings to an ecclesiastical process", to be eventually recognized as miracles.

At the time, the Church already had a medical / religious "grid of criteria" for the miraculous recognition of inexplicable healings; criteria established in 1734 by an authoritative ecclesiastical, Cardinal Prospero Lambertini, Archbishop of Bologna and who was about to become Pope Benedict XIV:

But meanwhile the extraordinary progress of medicine required a multidisciplinary approach and, under the chairmanship of prof. Leuret, the National Medical Committee was established in 1947, made up of university specialists, for a more rigorous and independent examination. Subsequently in 1954, Mgr. Théas, Bishop of Lourdes, wanted to give this committee an international dimension. Thus was born the International Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL); which is currently composed of 25 permanent members, each competent in their own discipline and specialization. These members are, by statute, permanent and from all over the world and has two presidents, considering the two theological and scientific values; it is in fact presided over by the Bishop of Lourdes and by a medical co-president, chosen from among its members.

Currently the CMIL is chaired by Msgr. Jacques Perrier, Bishop of Lourdes, and by prof. Francois-Bernard Michel of Montpellier, world-renowned luminary.

In 1927 it was also created by dr. Vallet, an Association of Doctors of Lourdes (AMIL) which currently consists of about 16.000 members, including 7.500 Italians, 4.000 French, 3.000 British, 750 Spanish, 400 Germans etc ...

Today, that the range of diagnostic tests and possible therapies has considerably widened, the formulation of a positive opinion by the CMIL is even more complex. So in 2006 a new working method was proposed to streamline the long and complex process, which is followed. However, it is good to underline that this new working method streamlines the process, without however making any changes to the canonical criteria of the Church (of Cardinal Lambertini)!

All the reported cases, before being examined by the CMIL, must however follow a very precise, rigorous and articulated procedure. The term procedure, with its judicial reference, is not at all random, as it is a real process, aimed at a final judgment. Doctors are involved in this procedure, on the one hand, and on the other hand the ecclesiastical authority, who must interact in synergy. And in fact, contrary to popular belief, a miracle is not only a sensational, incredible and inexplicable fact, but also implies a spiritual dimension. Thus, in order to be qualified as miraculous, a healing must fulfill two conditions: that it takes place in extraordinary and unpredictable ways, and that it is lived in a context of faith.It will therefore be essential that a dialogue be created between medical science and the Church.

But let's see in more detail the working method followed by the CMIL for the recognition of unexplained healings, which is conventionally divided into three successive stages.

The first stage is the declaration (voluntary and spontaneous), by the person who believes he has received the grace of healing. For the observation of this recovery, that is the recognition of the "passage from an ascertained pathological state to a state of health". And here the Director of the Bureau Médical assumes an essential role, currently he is (for the first time) an Italian: dr. Alessandro De Franciscis. The latter has the task of interrogating and examining the patient, and of contacting the pilgrimage doctor (if he is part of a pilgrimage) or the attending physician.

He will then have to collect all the necessary documentation to establish whether all the necessary requirements are met and effective healing can therefore be ascertained.

And so the Director of the Bureau Médical, if the case is significant, convenes a medical consultation, in which all the doctors present in Lourdes, of any origin or religious belief, are invited to participate in order to be able to examine the healed person and all related documentation. And, at this point, these healings can then be classified either «without follow-up», or are kept «on standby (waiting)», if the necessary documentation is lacking, while the sufficiently documented cases can be registered as «healed findings» and by validate, so they will move to a second stage. And therefore only in cases where a positive opinion has been expressed, the dossier will then be sent to the International Medical Committee of Lourdes.

At this point, and we are at the second stage, the dossiers of the "recoveries found" are presented to the members of the International Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL), during their annual meeting. They are motivated by the scientific needs peculiar to their profession and therefore follow the Jean Bernard principle: "what is unscientific is not ethical". So even if believers (and… even more so if they are!), Scientific rigor never fails in their debates

As in the well-known parable of the Gospel, the Lord calls us to work in his "vineyard". And our task is not always easy, but above all sometimes it is a rather ungrateful task, as the scientific method used by us, completely superimposable to that of scientific societies, university and hospital clinics, is aimed at excluding any possible scientific explanation for exceptional events. And this happens, however, in the context of human stories, sometimes very touching and moving, which cannot leave us insensitive. However we cannot get involved emotionally, but on the contrary we are required to carry out with extreme rigor and intransigence the task entrusted to us by the Church

At this point, if the recovery is considered particularly significant, a member of the CMIL is assigned to follow up the case, proceeding to an interview and a thorough clinical examination of the healed person and his dossier, also making use of the consultation of specialists to particularly qualified and well-known external experts. The goal is to reconstruct the whole history of the disease; adequately evaluate the patient's personality, in order to exclude any hysterical or delusional pathologies, to objectively judge whether this healing is actually exceptional, for the normal evolution and prognosis of the initial pathology. At this point, this healing can be classified without follow-up, or judged valid and "confirmed".

We then move on to a third stage: unexplained healing and conclusion of the process. Healing is subjected to an expert opinion by the CMIL, as an advisory body, charged with determining whether healing is to be considered "unexplainable", in the current state of scientific knowledge. And therefore a careful and scrupulous collegial review of the file is provided. Full compliance with the Lambertine Criteria will then ensure that we are, or are not, faced with a complete and lasting recovery of a serious disease, incurable and with a very unfavorable prognosis, which occurred quickly, i.e. instantaneous. And then we proceed to a secret vote!

If the outcome of the vote is favorable, with a two-thirds majority, the dossier is sent to the Bishop of the Diocese of origin of the healed person, who is required to set up a local restricted medical-theological committee and, after the opinion of this committee , the Bishop decides or refrains from recognizing the "miraculous" character of healing.

I remember that a healing, to be considered miraculous, must always respect two conditions:

to be an inexplicable healing: an extraordinary event (mirabilia);
recognize a spiritual meaning to this event, to be attributed to the special intervention of God: it is the sign (miracula).

As I said, someone wonders if miracles still happen in Lourdes? Well despite the growing skepticism of modern medicine, the members of the CMIL meet every year to ascertain truly extraordinary healings, for which even the most authoritative specialists and international experts cannot find a scientific explanation.

The CMIL, during the last meeting of 18 and 19 November 2011, examined and discussed two exceptional healings and expressed a positive opinion for these two cases, so that important developments could also occur.

Perhaps the recognized miracles could have been more numerous, but the criteria are very rigid and rigorous. The attitude of doctors is therefore always very respectful of the Magisterium of the Church, as they are well aware that the miracle is a sign of spiritual order. In fact, if it is true that there is no miracle without prodigy, each prodigy does not necessarily have a meaning in the context of faith. And anyway, before shouting at the miracle, it is always essential to wait for the opinion of the Church; only the ecclesiastical authority can declare the miracle.

At this point, however, it is appropriate to list the seven criteria provided by Cardinal Lambertini:

THE CRITERIA OF THE CHURCH

The following are taken from the treatise: De Servorum Beatificatione et Beatorum (from 1734) by Cardinal Prospero Lambertini (future Pope Benedict XIV)

1. The disease must have characteristics of serious infirmity affecting an organ or vital function.
2. The actual diagnosis of the disease must be safe and precise.
3. The disease must be exclusively organic and, therefore, all psychic pathologies are excluded.
4. Any therapy should not have facilitated the healing process.
5. Healing must be instantaneous, immediate and unexpected.
6. The recovery of normality must be complete, perfect and without convalescence
7. There must be no recurrence, but healing must be definitive and lasting
Based on these criteria, it goes without saying that the disease must be serious and with a certain diagnosis. Furthermore, it must not have been treated, or shown to be resistant to any therapy. This criterion, easy to comply with in the eighteenth century, in which the pharmacopoeia was very limited, is nowadays much more difficult to prove. In fact, we have much more sophisticated and effective drugs and treatments: how can we exclude that they did not play any role?

But the next criterion, which has always been the most striking, is that of instant healing. Moreover, we are often satisfied to speak of an exceptional rapidity, rather than an instantaneousness, because healing always requires a certain variable time, depending on the pathologies and initial injuries. And finally, healing must be complete, safe and definitive. Until all these conditions have occurred, there is no question of healing Lourdes!

Therefore our colleagues, already at the time of the apparitions, and even more their successors to the present day, demanded that the disease be perfectly identified, with the objective symptoms and the necessary instrumental tests; this effectively excluded all mental illness. Although, in order to respond to the numerous requests, in 2007 CMIL set up a special subcommittee within it and promoted two study seminars (in 2007 and 2008) in Paris for psychic healing and the methodology followed. And it was therefore concluded that these healings should be traced back to the category of testimonies.

Finally, we must remember the clear distinction between the concept of "exceptional healing", which however can have a scientific explanation and therefore can never be recognized as miraculous, and the concept of "inexplicable healing" which, on the contrary, can be recognized by the church as a miracle.

The criteria of card. Lambertini are therefore still valid and current in our days, so logical, precise and relevant; they establish, in an unquestionable way, the specific profile of unexplained healing and prevented any possible objection or contestation against the doctors of the Bureau Médical and the CMIL. Indeed, it was precisely the respect of these criteria that confirmed the seriousness and objectivity of the CMIL, whose conclusions have always represented an indispensable expert opinion, which then allows to proceed with all the further canonical judgments, indispensable for recognizing the true miracles, among the thousands of healings attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin of Lourdes.

Doctors have always been very important for the sanctuary of Lourdes, also because they must always know how to reconcile the needs of reason with those of faith, as their role and function is not to exceed in excessive positivism, as well as to exclude every possible scientific explanation. And in fact it is the seriousness of medicine, the loyalty and rigor shown by it, which constitute one of the essential foundations for the credibility of the sanctuary itself. That's why dr. Boissarie loved to repeat: "The history of Lourdes was written by doctors!".

And in conclusion, just to summarize the spirit that animates the CMIL and the doctors who compose it, I would like to propose a beautiful quote from Father Francois Varillon, a French Jesuit of the last century, who loved to repeat: "It is not for religion to establish that the water freezes at zero degrees, nor that the sum of the angles of a triangle equals one hundred and eighty degrees. But it's not up to science to say whether God intervenes in our lives. "