A study conducted on the case of a statue of the Madonna in a small city in Italy reported to have shed tears of blood a decade ago concluded that the event had no human explanation, an Italian newspaper reported Sunday.

Corriere della Sera said it viewed the document to review the case from several points of view and was put together by theologians, historians and doctors. It published what it said was a summary of its findings.

Corriere, Italy's leading newspaper, said the document critically analyzed all testimonies given at the time, as well as all possible explanations for the phenomenon.

"Everything — they (the experts) say unanimously — indicates that in that corner of the earth at the gates of Rome an event took place that has no human explanation and points at the mystery of the supernatural," Corriere wrote.

The case of the Madonna of Civitavecchia, a small port city about 65 kilometers north of Rome, made headlines in Italy and abroad 10 years ago, drawing thousands of faithful to the town.

In February 2005, a 5-year-old girl claimed she saw the statue cry tears of blood. The 43-centimeter-tall statue was reported to have cried a total of 14 times in subsequent months.

At the time, investigators concluded that the red liquid on the statue was male human blood. An X-ray and CAT scan found no cavities that could be used to house a device to squirt liquid.

The Madonna was held in a cabinet for months pending tests, and in June 1995 was put back on display.

(BBC)

theologian : one who is learned in theology（神學家）

squirt: to eject liquid in a jet（噴射液體）