Pope Francis hails 'half miracle' in Naples after Saint Januarius's dried blood 'half-liquefies'
Dried blood of Saint Januarius is declared to have 'half-liquefied' during papal visit to Naples
It was a miracle! Or maybe not. The dried blood of Naples' patron saint Januarius half-liquefied during a ceremony when Pope Francis held and kissed the relic in the southern Italian city.
Archbishop of Naples Crescenzio Sepe showed the glass vial to the congregation in the city's cathedral and declared: "The blood has half-liquefied, which shows that Saint Januarius loves our pope and Naples."
The pope quipped that he and his fellow visitors to the city's cathedral had failed to win the saint's full affection.
"The bishop just announced that the blood half-liquefied," he said. "We can see the saint only half loves us. We must all spread the word, so that he loves us more!"
Each year thousands of Roman Catholic faithful go to the three special services at Naples Cathedral where the dried blood of the fourth-century martyr is said to turn to liquid.
Some people say the blood even increases in mass during these displays, though the church does not officially recognise any of the relic's alleged transformations as a miracle.
