John Paul I will be beatified by Pope Francis on September 4th in the framework of a celebratory mass in St. Peter's Square. In 2011, a little girl from Argentina, Candela, was cured through the intervention of the "smiling pope", who suffered from a severe form of encephalopathy (brain dysfunction), her life was in danger, and there was a possibility that she would continue to live in a purely vegetative state.
Nevertheless, that little girl is now a big girl, she is well, she finished high school, attends an Argentine university and is the great hope of her family - her mother, Roxana, and her two sisters - who live in decent poverty. On October 13, 2021, Pope Francis approved the decree in which he acknowledges the miracle that happened through the intercession of Pope John Paul I - the girl received the news with great joy that her "savior", Albino Luciani, would be among the happy.
The girl's ordeal began in March 2011 - according to the documents of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints - with a severe headache that continued until March 27: she developed a fever, started vomiting and her behavior and speech became confused. A terrible diagnosis was made: an acute seizure due to epileptic encephalopathy, a long-standing epileptic condition of unknown origin. He had a very serious condition, had several epileptic seizures every day, and had to be intubated. After two months, his condition did not improve, so he was transferred to Buenos Aires on May 26, where the end of the tunnel was not in sight for another two months. On July 22, his clinical condition continued to deteriorate, and septic shock caused by pneumonia occurred.
The doctors called the family members together to tell them that the day of his death was near.
But they didn't count on the parish priest, Father José, who was the priest of the nearby church. He went to the little girl's sick bed and suggested to his mother that they together ask for the intercession of János Pál I, whom he respected very much. Cardinal Beniamino Stella, postulator of the beatification process, said:
"That night, all those who wanted good for the little girl, in their spirit, clung to the white robe of the Pope of Veneto, who died 33 years ago, and asked him to convince God to do a miracle."
The next day, July 23, 2011, to everyone's surprise, the septic shock suddenly started to pass, and then the patient's blood circulation and breathing were restored. In the following weeks, his condition steadily improved. On August 8, he was extubated and permanently taken off the machines. On August 25, it was declared that the epileptic state had ceased, and on September 5, the little girl was discharged home, and she gradually regained all her physical, mental, and cognitive abilities, and the disturbances in her behavior disappeared. He was cured, in a medically, scientifically inexplicable way.
It was also clear to the theological committee that there is a direct connection between the healing and the call for help from János Pál I.
The miracle took place restitutio ad integrum, that is, a "great" miracle, greater than only the miracle of the resurrection. The functioning of the organs, especially the brain, which suffered severe damage in the disease, was restored.
The article was published in Magyar Kurír
Photo: Vatican News
