Mary in Egypt

I thought I'd post this under paranormal studies considering it was something of paranormal nature and has nothing to do with prophecies or conspiracies.

I just wanted people's thoughts on the apparition of Mary in Egypt on April 2, 1968.
I was just reading on the internet about different visitations from Mary and Jesus and I thought this one was the most interesting since it had been photographed and taped. Millions witnessed the apparition which lasted 23 years:

Crystalinks Marion Apparition
Zeitoun, also El-Zeitoun or Zeitun, is a town near Cairo, Egypt. It is noted for its Marian apparitions.According to purported witnesses, the Virgin Mary appeared in different forms over the Coptic Virgin Mary Church at Zeitoun for a period of 2­3 years beginning on April 2, 1968. The apparitions lasted from a few minutes up to several hours and were sometimes accompanied by dove-shaped luminous bodies.

They were purportedly seen by millions of Egyptians and foreigners, including Copts, Orthodox and Roman Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews and people of no particular faith. The sick and blind are said to have been cured, and many people converted to Christianity as a result.

The Coptic Pope Kirellos VI appointed a committee of high ranking priests and bishops to investigate, headed by Anba Gregorios, bishop of postgraduate studies, Coptic culture and scientific research. On May 4 the Coptic Orthodox Papal Residence in Cairo issued an official statement confirming the apparitions. They were also confirmed by Father Dr. Henry Ayrout, S.J., and Rev. Dr. Ibrahim Said of the Protestant Evangelical Ministries.

Nuns of the Society of the Sacred Heart witnessed the apparitions and sent a detailed report to the Vatican, resulting in the arrival of an envoy on April 28 who also saw the apparitions and sent a report to Pope Paul VI.It was allegedly witnessed by Christians, Muslims and President Abdul Nasser, as well as captured by newspaper photographers and Egyptian television. Investigations by among others the Coptic Church and the police could find no explanation for the phenomenon. No device was found within a radius of fifteen miles capable of projecting the image, while the sheer number of photographs from independent sources suggests that no photographic manipulation was involved.

Marian apparitions are events in which the Virgin Mary is purported to have supernaturally appeared to one or more persons, typically but not always Christians, often Catholics. They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the soubriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition, or on her reported clothing and hairstyle. They have been interpreted as psychological (pareidolia), and as religious phenomena, occasionally as theophanies.

Apparitions sometimes recur at the same site over an extended period of time. Marian apparitions sometimes involve statues or images of Mary; of particular note are weeping statues, witnessed as producing tears.

Here are a few pictures:


So what are your thoughts? Could this be the mother of Jesus or just a hoax? Could it be a sign from aliens or a trick by satan? I just wondered what people's theories are on this. Personally I believe it.

fascinating stuff, reminds me of the milk drinking Hindu statue phenomenon that happened a few years ago. Large scale, over a period of time, countless witnesses and too much independent verification to call a fake/hoax event makes these types of incidents very intriguing. If such miracles only happened to believers of a single faith, one could say they were onto something, but it seems these miracles, apparitions, have happened in many faiths and cultures, but I think the Virgin Mary definitely has made more appearances than any other religious figure.

[edit on 7-10-2006 by worldwatcher]

Interesting.
If I can remember correctly from bible study when I was kid long ago, Fatima was somewhat documented. The kids she visited would stare at one spot in the room for like hours, talk in a different language or really old latin (cant remember), and would never blink. they tested the kids while this happened with bright lights and such. I will have to look this up to be sure these stories were told to me so long ago.