Tixtla, 2006
On October 21, 2006, during a parish Eucharistic celebration in Tixtla, in the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Mexico, a reddish substance was observed flowing from a consecrated Host.
The local Bishop, Most Reverend Alejo Zavala Castro, established a theological commission of inquiry and, in October 2009, invited Dr. Ricardo Castañón Gómez to direct a comprehensive scientific research program to objectively clarify the nature of the phenomenon. The Mexican ecclesiastical authorities entrusted the investigation to Dr. Castañón Gómez because of his extensive previous scientific examinations (1999–2006) of two bleeding consecrated Hosts in the parish of Saint Mary in Buenos Aires.
The Mexican event began in October 2006 when Father Leopoldo Roque, pastor of the parish of Saint Martin of Tours in Tixtla, invited Father Raymundo Reyna Esteban to lead a parish retreat.
While Father Leopoldo and an assistant priest were distributing Holy Communion with the assistance of a religious sister positioned to Father Raymundo's left, the sister approached him holding the ciborium with tears in her eyes. This immediately arrested the celebrant's attention: a consecrated Host she had taken to give Communion to a parishioner had spontaneously begun effusing a reddish liquid.
The bleeding Host. The rigorous scientific investigations carried out between October 2009 and October 2012 reached the following definitive conclusions, presented on May 25, 2013, during an international symposium convened by the Diocese of Chilpancingo on the occasion of the Year of Faith, attended by thousands of delegates from four continents: «1. The reddish substance analyzed corresponds to real blood containing human hemoglobin and human DNA.
2. Two independent forensic investigations conducted with distinct methodologies demonstrated that the substance emanates from within the interior of the Host, definitively excluding the hypothesis that someone could have applied it externally. 3. The blood type is AB, matching the type identified in the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano and on the Holy Shroud of Turin. 4. High-magnification microscopic analysis revealed that while the superficial layer of blood has been coagulated since October 2006, deeper sub-surface layers examined in February 2010 revealed the presence of fresh, living blood.
5. Intact white blood cells, red blood cells, and active macrophages actively phagocytizing lipids were clearly identified. The tissue exhibits signs of injury and repair mechanisms, characteristic of living tissue. 6. Histopathological analysis identified deteriorating protein structures suggesting mesenchymal cells, which are characterized by high biophysiological activity.
7. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that the tissue corresponds to human heart muscle (myocardium). In light of these scientific findings and the conclusions reached by the theological commission, Bishop Alejo Zavala Castro announced: — The event has no natural explanation. — It does not originate from paranormal activity. — It cannot be attributed to external human manipulation or deception».
On October 12, 2013, Bishop Alejo Zavala Castro of Chilpancingo-Chilapa formally recognized the Eucharistic miracle through an official Pastoral Letter: «This manifestation constitutes a marvelous sign of God's infinite love, confirming the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist... In my capacity as Bishop of the Diocese, I recognize the supernatural character of the series of events surrounding the Bleeding Host of Tixtla... I solemnly declare this event to be a ‘Divine Sign'».
Source
Text and photographs: international exhibition «The Eucharistic Miracles of the World», by Saint Carlo Acutis. Original panel at miracolieucaristici.org.