MEDICINE AND MIRACLE
By a Correspondent TWELVE months and eight days after the event, and a full three weeks after a popular illustrated weekly scooped the news, the 'vision' which is supposed to have brought about the Pope's %nick recovery from a dangerous attack of hiccoughs in December, 1954, has now been formally described and con- firmed ky the Osservat ore Romano, the Vatican's official news- paper. On the morning of December 1 1954, the Pope, while praying, perceived the countenance of Jesus. Although he at first believed the vision wasto indicate that his hour had come, he afterwards felt so comforted by it that he soon began to gain strength. Pius XII is only the second Pope to whom Christ is said to have appeared, the first having been Silvester, in the fourth century.
The inexplicable delay in issuing an official statement and the first publication of so important an event by a profane weekly (which incidentally was alleged to be badly in need of a scoop in order to boost its falling circulation) have surprised. if not shocked, both liberal and devout Italians. It seems certain now that the news of the `vision'—if, indeed, it was to be pub- lished at all—was being kept on ice for some special occasion. The leak has created embarrassment on all sides. The day the weekly came out with the richly illustrated story, the Corriere della Sera carried a short. terse piece by Silvio Negro. who, having quoted several previous instances of miracle-gossip. referred to the present one by saying : 'It is hardly surprising, therefore, that people who are acquainted with the fantasies and pious imaginings of simple minds, consider these reports with a great deal of scepticism.' The next day, when a semi- official announcement issued by the Vatican's press agency defended the weekly, he more or less had to eat his words. In his defence, however, he could bring forward that the dates of the 'vision' seemed contradictory, for the press agency men- tioned January, 1955, while the Pope's hiccough attacks had come to a serious crisis only in December, 1954.
He, furthermore, was able to quote the Pope's physicians, who, considerably irritated because the credit for their patient's recovery was now being transferred from them to the direct intervention of the Redeemer, had stated that there had at no time been any mortal danger and that the attack had been checked and cured by perfectly natural, medical means. From inside the Vatican Nicola Aden', a well-known liberal journal- ist, then reported fascinating theological discussions between various factions, each of which was anxious to claim the credit for being the agent, on the strength of whose prayers Jesus had condescended to visit the Pope. The official statement of the Osservatore Romano has now put some sort of a stop to the upheaval by explaining that the Pope has 'openly shown his displeasure about the indiscretion. even if it had been committed with the best of intentions.' The medical men are being consoled by a statement that distributes the credit for the Pope's recovery evenly between medicine and miracle : `The Catholic world had already spontaneously de- fined as miraculous the healing of Pius XII; God, in order to achieve this, has availed Himself also of the common means of science and has enlightened the minds of the illustrous and watchful physicians.'
Nevertheless the general verdict is that the affair was badly bungled and that it was in extremely bad taste to let an illus. trated weekly make hay with a story that should have be( a announced to the Catholic world by a Cardinal at least.
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