The marks known as stigmas remain at the center of a millennia-old debate. This unique manifestation, with renowned cases such as Saint Francis of Assisi and Padre Pio, generates religious fervor, scientific intrigue, and widespread skepticism. Neither medicine nor theology offers a unanimous response, prolonging the tension between mystery and reason.
Church, Medicine, and Stigmas: The Endless Search for Answers
The notion of the so-called divine marks has troubled believers, theologians, scientists, and skeptics for centuries.
Known popularly as “stigmas,” these bodily injuries, seemingly resembling the wounds that Jesus Christ suffered during the crucifixion, have been reported in multiple cultures and eras. Although most cases are associated with Christianity, particularly the Catholic tradition, narratives have also appeared in other spiritual contexts.
These manifestations, which include marks on the hands, feet, side, or even the forehead, generate intense debate. On one hand, faith seeks in them a tangible proof of the sacred; on the other, science and medicine attempt to find physiological or psychological explanations. Meanwhile, the press and the general public remain fascinated and confused, highlighting that the issue lies at the crossroads of devotion, incredulity, and intellectual curiosity.
The Paradigmatic Case of Saint Francis of Assisi
The first clear historical reference to stigmas comes from the 13th century, centered around Saint Francis of Assisi, an Italian mystic who lived a life marked by asceticism and radical poverty.
According to contemporary testimonies, in 1224, while undertaking a spiritual retreat on Mount La Verna, the saint experienced a vision involving a crucified angelic being. After that transcendental encounter, wounds appeared on his body that reproduced the signs of Christ’s Passion. The medieval community interpreted these sores as undeniable proof of the friar’s holiness, whose religiosity and charisma attracted multitudes.
However, not everyone was convinced. From a modern medical perspective, it has been suggested that Saint Francis could have suffered from severe conditions such as malaria or pathologies causing spontaneous hemorrhages. That tension between the miraculous and the natural underscores that, even in its origin, the phenomenon was surrounded by doubts.
The Marks of Padre Pio: Fervor and Skepticism
Another renowned episode occurred centuries later, embodied in the figure of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, an Italian Capuchin friar born in 1887.
Ordained as a priest in 1910, his reputation achieved global renown due to alleged mystical abilities: visions, bilocation, and the appearance of permanent stigmas for over half a century. These wounds, which remained inexplicably open without becoming infected, bled constantly and, according to some witnesses, emitted a pleasant aroma.
Padre Pio dealt with these marks under a complex mix of spiritual fervor, personal shame, and the skepticism of certain ecclesiastical authorities. For years, he was subjected to examinations by specialists who could not explain the origin of the lesions.
In the 1930s, the Vatican began to reconsider its stance towards the friar, partly influenced by his popularity and testimonies from faithful surrounding his figure. Nevertheless, the official judgment was always cautious. The Church, stringent in these matters, has been reluctant to offer definitive statements without extensive theological and scientific verifications.
The case of Padre Pio, canonized in 2002, illustrates the complex relationship between institutional faith, medical criteria, and public fascination with a phenomenon that demands clear answers but rarely provides them conclusively.
Medical and Psychic Perspectives on Stigmas
In contrast to the religious view that perceives stigmas as a sign of divine selection, medicine has attempted to explain the phenomenon from the field of psychopathology.
Specialists have suggested that some of these marks could result from conscious or unconscious self-mutilations, linked to identity disorders, post-traumatic stress, or hysterical episodes. There is the proposition that intense religious conviction, combined with altered states of consciousness, could trigger psychosomatic lesions with real physical manifestations.
Other experts suspect that some individuals with anorexia nervosa or ritualized obsessive-compulsive behaviors might interpret themselves as reproducing Christ’s pain, causing harm to alleviate deep emotional tensions.
However, the absence of infections, the lack of conventional healing, and resistance to medical treatments in certain genuine cases raise questions. How can, from a physiological standpoint, explain lesions that do not progress toward necrosis nor experience degenerative processes?
Some argue that the wounds could be superficial and meticulously cared for by those affected, avoiding infections. However, these hypotheses do not satisfy everyone, and the scientific community remains divided, acknowledging that it is an issue that medical knowledge has yet to fully clarify.
Contemporary Debate and Official Recognition
In the religious realm, there are no shortage of skeptics who point out the danger of accepting the supernatural nature of stigmas without nuance. The Catholic Church, for example, has established rigorous conditions to validate these phenomena. It requires that the marks appear simultaneously, remain unaltered despite medical interventions, and present without infections.
Additionally, bleeding and the total absence of foul odor are usually expected. These difficult-to-meet conditions have led the Holy See to be extremely prudent. Of the numerous reported cases, very few have been officially recognized as authentic.
Outside the Catholic sphere, some cultures have their own accounts that evoke mystical sores. For example, among the Warao tribe in Venezuela, wounds on the palms are mentioned during ritual experiences with mystical spirits.
Similarly, in certain expressions of Buddhism, art has illustrated bodily lacerations in enlightened masters, reminding us that the phenomenon of sacred pain is not exclusive to the Christian tradition. Such similarities suggest that the marks could be a universal expression of the human longing to transcend their own condition, embodying a spiritual reality in a tangible way.
The Tension Between Mystery and Rationality
Theories abound, and conclusions are scarce. On one hand, the devotional perspective highlights the possible divine origin of the wounds, arguing that natural laws cannot explain these exceptional occurrences.
On the other hand, the critical view insists on the need for verifiable evidence, pointing out that stigmas were not described before the 13th century and that, if there is a physiological cause, there should be precedents in ancient medical literature. Without conclusive data, the debate remains open, sustained by the precarious balance between faith and science.
Currently, the topic persists in academic and popular discussion. Scientific advancements have not unveiled the mystery, and skepticism fails to prevail decisively in well-documented cases. Those who consider the sores divine proof maintain their unwavering conviction.
Those who distrust argue that the weight of evidence points toward complex psychic phenomena, occasional frauds, or psychological imbalances. Meanwhile, the general public remains intrigued, attracted by stories laden with symbolism, pain, and devotion.
Journalism, in attempting to approach the matter rigorously, is compelled to address the issue with a multiperspective view. Interviews with skeptical doctors, devout witnesses, historians specialized in medieval religiosity, and psychologists expert in dissociative disorders form a panorama that maintains the unresolved tension.
Looking to the Future
The central questions remain: Why do certain individuals present these inexplicable sores? Are they a mystical sign, a psychosomatic trait, a form of extreme self-suggestion, or a mere fabrication?
In the absence of consensus, interdisciplinary research must continue. It is likely that, over time, new medical or psychological studies will shed light on the origin of these phenomena. It may also occur that the mystery never fully dissipates, keeping the debate alive over time.
Similar to other events that escape simple explanations, stigmas invite reflection on the influence of faith on human experience. Some argue that these marks—physical or invisible—summarize the intensity of inner drama and the emotional connection with the figure of Christ in the flesh.
Others, however, insist that suggestion and the human psyche hold more secrets than we believe. As long as the enigma persists, bleeding wounds, the floral scent sometimes attributed to them, and doubts about their origin will continue to populate the collective imagination, reminding us that human understanding is limited and that, ultimately, absolute certainties are elusive.
