Court Rules Out DNA Tests on Icon’s Tears
ROME — Italy’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday ruled out DNA testing to determine the source of bloody tears on a 15-inch-high plaster statue of the Virgin Mary.
The court declared that ordering anyone to undergo a DNA test infringes on personal liberty.
A magistrate in Civitavecchia north of Rome had earlier ordered the statue’s owner, Fabio Gregori, and his family to undergo the tests in a probe into the origins of the tears.
The statue, which Gregori bought in Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, has become an object of veneration for thousands of pilgrims from all over Italy.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
