Pilgrims besiege church to see 'blood' run from image of Christ

Thousands of pilgrims have overwhelmed a small church in Argentina after blood was said to be oozing down the face of an image of Jesus Christ. A red substance was photographed running from the forehead of Jesus and down his cheek in a church depiction of the Last Supper.

Local priest Father Jorge Gandur said the 'ooze comes from one of the wounds on the left side of the forehead of Christ produced by the crown of thorns'. The stains were first noticed on Friday by two men who had entered the Oratory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Yerba Buena, Tucuman province.



The pair reported the substance to Father Gandur, who took samples of the substance to be scientifically tested to see if it was human blood. After local media were tipped off that the men had seen Christ weeping 'tears of blood' the streets surrounding the church became jammed withy pilgrims wanting to see the phenomenon for themselves.

Hundreds of people were reported to be crying and praying fervently in at least two streets leading up to the church. As more people arrived from surrounding provinces, officials of the Archdiocese of Tucuman yesterday urged worshippers to exercise prudence and caution and not to jump to conclusions about the alleged authenticity of the image. 'If this is something wrought by God, it will have continuity, and if it is of men, it will disappear,' Father Gandur said.