Vatican Confirms Indian Eucharistic Miracle After 12 Years

The Vatican has stunned the faithful, endorsing a Eucharistic miracle in Kerala, India, 12 years after its mysterious onset. On November 15, 2013, at Christ the King Church in Vilakkannur, within the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Tellicherry, the Holy Face of Jesus emerged on a host during a morning Mass led by Rev. Fr. Thomas Pathickal. Thousands flocked to venerate it, overwhelming the road to Paithalmala, prompting district intervention, as noted by Matters India. Three days later, the diocese seized the host for scientific analysis, later returning it to a side altar for reverence, barring its use on the main altar or in adoration.

By May 2025, the Vatican declared it authentic. The official website reveals: “During a 2013 Mass, Fr. Thomas Pathickal noticed a strange spot on the host that brightened, unveiling Jesus’ face.” A 2020 statement adds: “The Syro-Malabar Theological Commission deemed it a Relic of Divinity. On September 21, 2018, Mar George Njaralakatt enshrined it for prayer, yielding miraculous blessings.” The host’s journey included a 2020 transfer to Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro via a special Mass at Kakkanad, as former trustee Baby Joseph Payikatt recounted. He noted hundreds transformed spiritually and socially over six years. Archbishop Njaralakatt ordered documentation of supernatural signs.

The relic’s odyssey deepened when, as former parish trustee Baby Joseph Payikatt revealed to Matters India in 2020, it was borne to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church headquarters in Kakkanad, entrusted to Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro. On January 10, 2020, Christ the King Church held a solemn Mass, its prayers rising as the host departed for Rome. Payikatt marveled that “hundreds of souls” had gathered to pray over six years, the phenomenon weaving profound transformations into the parishioners’ spiritual and social lives. Archbishop George Njaralakatt, in turn, called for the parish to record the “signs and supernatural” echoes of this miracle, preserving its mystique for posterity.