A surprising amount of Catholics base their faith in the truthfulness of Catholicism on Eucharistic miracles, wherein a wafer is said to bleed, or transform into flesh, Stigmata, wherein a person bleeds from their hands, feet, or side as Jesus did, and Marian apparitions, in which Mary appears to people and tells them a message.

This article will analyze these three categories of Catholic miracle claims.

Eucharistic Miracles

The simplest refutation of Eucharistic miracles is found in observing that they did not start being reported until 1,000 years after Jesus Christ, and when they were reported, they were reported in High Middle Ages Europe, at the height of Papal excess (Pope Gregory VII's Dictatus Papae in 1090 AD claimed the Pope was the ruler of the whole world, "All princes shall kiss the feet of the Pope alone"), the age of the Crusades (Papally-mandated offensive warfare with promised Plenary Indulgences for "martyrdom" while fighting people of other religions), the brutal torture and killing of heretics (Ad Extirpanda, 1252 AD, etc.); long after the cult of the Saints had developed, and grown into a monstrosity, where superstition, illiteracy, and ignorance abounded, indulgences were sold, and ascribed to relics all over Europe, with many claiming to have the nails Jesus was crucified with, pieces of the True Cross, pieces of Mary and Jesus's clothing, the bones of Biblical figures, and so on (see Henry Charles Lea, A History of Auricular Confession and Indulgences in the Latin Church, for extensive documentation). In other words, the kind of superstition and fraud associated with Eucharistic miracles fits in well with the deep, abiding darkness that was High Middle Ages Roman Catholicism, and can be rejected on that basis alone by sober observers.

Prior to 1000 AD, there are very few claims, which come from hundreds of years after the supposed event:

• Mass of Pope Gregory I (540-604 AD) - Recorded in a hagiography of Gregory (Vita Beati Gregorii Papae) written by a deacon in 787 AD
• Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano (750 AD) - First source for the miracle dates to 1574 AD, nearly a millennia after it was claimed to have happened

So, prior to the High Middle Ages, there is seemingly a single Eucharistic miracle claim, which was written in a hagiography intended to glorify Pope Gregory, nearly two hundred years after he lived. Consider all of the Saints and great Christians who lived before the High Middle Ages, and then ask why neither they, nor the Apostles, ever reported or encountered this phenomenon. They never did so, because it is pious fraud, invented in a superstitious Catholic milieu in Europe.

Also, consider that there are many Eucharistic miracles which are preserved and stored in Catholic Churches. These people could indisputably prove the truth of Christianity, and refute all non-Catholics forever, if they gathered 4 or 5 of the Eucharistic miracles from various centuries and places, and demonstrated that they all have the same DNA - the very DNA of Jesus Christ. Will they do so? Of course not. If they did, the DNA results would not corroborate that this is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and that is why they do not allow peer-reviewed analysis of the claimed relics by non-Catholics.

The Stigmata

As with Eucharistic miracles, it is not until the High Middle Ages, when Francis of Assisi (1181-1226 AD) is said to have had the wounds of Jesus, that the phenomenon appears. Thereafter, there is an explosion in reported incidents. This alone is enough to dismiss the phenomenon, as if God intended for the Stigmata to be a sign for Christians, why would it be absent entirely from the early Church, and not appear until Medieval Roman Catholic Europe?

Further, conveniently, not a single claimed stigmatic has ever been recorded while the Stigmata allegedly begins to appear from otherwise undamaged skin. Instead, the wounds already exist, and then are observed. This is because it is pious fraud, perpetrated by deeply disturbed individuals, rather than a genuine miracle.

Also of note is the fact that the phenomenon is almost exclusively female, and very common in cloisters. There are also examples of claimed stigmatics being caught faking the phenomenon:

• Magdalena de la Cruz (1487-1560 AD) - A Franciscan nun who confessed to faking the Stigmata when she thought she was going to die
• Madre Maria de la Visitacion (1556 AD) - Convicted and confessed to faking the Stigmata
• Bertha Mrazek (1890-1967 AD) - A woman who claimed the Stigmata, later convicted of fraud and sent to an asylum

Finally, almost all stigmatics make their wounds in the hands, whereas it was likely that Jesus was pierced through the wrist, as the Greek word translated "hand" (χείρ) can accommodate the wrist area as well, and since hands cannot support a hanging person (as the breaking of the prisoner's legs to kill them indicates they hung, and pushed up with their legs to breathe, John 19:31-33), nor can they be easily pierced without breaking a bone (none of Jesus's bones were broken, John 19:36), it is likely that the people perpetrating the fraudulent Stigmata aren't even doing it correctly, and are making the wounds in the wrong area.

Marian Apparitions

Marian apparitions are common throughout Middle Ages hagiographies, and became extremely popular after the 18th century.

Considering the following should demonstrate the fraudulent nature of the apparitions:

• Our Lady of Laus (1664-1718 AD) - When she was 17 years old, Benoite Rencurel (1647-1718 AD) claimed to see Mary. She then became a Dominican nun, and a stigmatist, and claimed to see Mary for 54 more years, until her death. Is it more likely that Benoite Rencurel from France was the most important woman on earth, communicating with Mary throughout her entire life, or that rather, Benoite Rencurel was an attention-seeking, or otherwise disturbed individual, embedded in a monastic tradition which encouraged the kinds of legends and experiences that she was happy to supply?
• Our Lady of La Salette (1846 AD) - The 14 year-old Melanie Calvat and 11 year-old Maximin Giraud claim to see an apparition of Mary. Melanie said that Mary, among other things, told them, "If my people won't submit, I'm forced to let go the hand of my son. It is so strong and so heavy that I can no longer maintain it", which is heresy. Mary is not defending the world from Jesus. This is a reversal of the Gospel. Melanie later became a nun, and wrote a book called Apparition of the Blessed Virgin on the Mountain of La Salette, which the Catholic Church later put on the Index of Prohibited Books
• Our Lady of Fátima (1917 AD) - By far the most famous Marian apparition. Three children, Lucia (aged 10), Francisco (aged 9), and Jacinta (aged 7), claimed to see apparitions of Mary. Later, the Miracle of the Sun occurred, during which people claimed to see the sun move around miraculously, as predicted by the apparition. According to the maker of a documentary on the event, it is recorded that people were terrified, suffered burns, and damage to their cars during the event, and Father Manuel Ferreira, who spoke to the children, did not think the apparitions were legitimate. Additionally, Manuel Formigão, a priest, is said to have recorded that the children said that Mary told them World War I would end by October 13, 1917 AD, and when it didn't, he asked Lucia, and she had no answer besides, "I don't know; I only know that I heard her say that the war would end on that day. I said exactly what our Lady had said". Lucia and Francisco both died as children, and Lucia became a nun, writing extensively about the Marian apparitions
• The Lady of All Nations (1945-1959 AD) - Ida Peerdeman (1905-1996 AD) claimed that Mary appeared and spoke to her 56 times over the course of 15 years, and taught her a prayer which included "May the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, be our Advocate", which sparked controversy, as it was seen as Mary taking on a new name in place of "Mary". In 2005, the Vatican ordered the controversial part of the prayer to be changed to "the Blessed Virgin Mary"
• Our Lady of Lipa (1948 AD) - 21 year-old Carmelite nun postulant Teresita Castillo (1927-2016 AD) first claimed to be visited several times by the Devil, then claimed to see Mary 19 times, who told her three secrets, and later said that she was blinded by Mary, and healed by her prioress as a confirmation of the miracle. Pope Pius XII (1876-1958 AD) rejected this apparition in 1951, yet it is still venerated by locals
• Our Lady of Medjugorje (1981 AD) - 6 Bosnians - 5 teenagers, and 1 ten year-old, who all knew each other - claimed to see Mary at various times. One of the seers told Bishop Pavao Zanic, who was skeptical of the apparitions, that Mary told him to tell the bishop to believe in the apparitions or else he would be "judged by me and my son Jesus". Zanic's successor, Bishop Ratko Peric, also rejected the apparitions. One of the seers, Ivanka Ivankovic, claimed to receive ten secrets from Mary, and claims to see her every year on the anniversary of the first apparition. Another seer, Mirjana Dragicevic Soldo, claims that Mary also gave her ten secrets, and that she experiences miraculous interactions with Mary every second day of the month. Another seer, Marija Pavlovic Lunetti, says that she receives daily apparitions, and that Mary told her nine secrets. Another seer, Jakov Colo, claimed to have daily apparitions for 17 years, and every year on Christmas day. Wow, daily apparitions? Then these people are the most important human beings on earth, or they are liars - and if they are the kind of people who would lie now, well into adulthood, and after so many chances to repent, they are certainly the type of people who would lie as teenagers

It is a sobering fact that people often maliciously lie, even when God is involved, and when lives are at stake, finding some way to either ignore their conscience, or justify it to themselves. Consider the case of the Pendle Witches (1612 AD), where the nine year-old Jennet Device was a key witness in the trial and execution of nine people for witchcraft, including her own mother, brother, and sister. Later (1633-1634 AD), in the same area, ten year-old Edmund Robinson was a key witness in the witch trials of ten people, and ultimately admitted to fabricating evidence. Such historical cases are innumerable. Additionally, people who are themselves deceived, or not sane, can deceive others when they repeat what they erroneously think is true.

Conclusion

In these examples, one can see the kind of superstitious religion that was birthed in Medieval Europe, epitomized in pious fraud. Mary is not appearing to illiterate Catholic children, the bread used in Catholic churches is not bleeding the very blood of Jesus Christ, and cloistered Roman Catholic nuns are not bleeding as the Lord bled.

Finally, it should be noted that as far as miracles are concerned, Pentecostals, who are part of the Radical Reformation, and canonically damned many times over by the Roman Catholic Church, have far more miracle claims than Roman Catholics. Some of them have even written multi-volume works documenting miracles, both within their own movement, and in other Protestant movements (Miracles, by Craig Keener). So, must we all be Pentecostal? The Eastern Orthodox, who canonically curse any who say that the Pope is the head of the Church (Synodikon), have many post-schism hagiographies packed with miracles (Gregory Palamas, Simeon the Myrrh-streaming, Joseph the Wonderworker, etc.). So, should we all be Orthodox? According to Johannes Bugenhagen (1485-1558 AD), Jan Hus gave a prophecy foretelling the coming of Martin Luther. Should we all be Lutheran, or Hussites? Muslims teach that Muhammad split the moon (Sahih al-Bukhari 3637), had water pour forth from his hands (Sahih al-Bukhari 3572), multiplied food (Sunan an-Nasai 3387), and did many other miracles. So, must we all be Muslim? In 1995, statues of Ganesh in India were said to have drunk milk offerings. So, should we all be Hindu? In Buddhist scripture, Buddha's birth is recorded as having been miraculous (Majjhima Nikaya, Acchariya-abbhuta Sutta). Should we all be Buddhist?

Rather than basing our lives on dubious miracle claims, so rife with fraud, it is wiser to base what we believe on clear statements of Scripture, which is the method that God has ordained as the normative way people are to come to faith in Him (Romans 10:14-17).