The case of the alleged Eucharistic miracle of Tixtla in Mexico is not yet concluded, and the decision of Pope Francis is awaited, explained the Bishop of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Salvador Rangel Mendoza, who has just retired.
In an interview granted on February 15 to ACI Prensa, Bishop Rangel, 75, whose resignation was accepted on February 11, stated that "investigations are ongoing" into what the Vatican has temporarily considered a "Eucharistic phenomenon."
According to local press, during the celebration of Mass on October 21, 2006, in Tixtla, about fifteen kilometers east of Chilpancingo, a religious sister serving as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion reported seeing a reddish substance resembling blood flowing from a consecrated host.
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Investigations commissioned by the then Bishop of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Alejo Zavala Castro, led him to conclude in a pastoral letter dated October 12, 2013, the "supernatural nature" of what occurred, qualifying it as a "divine sign" and a "true miracle."
However, his successor, Bishop Rangel, decided to conduct a new investigation, this time consulting the Vatican.
Bishop Rangel stated that "I sent to ask Rome, and Rome said it was a 'Eucharistic phenomenon', because a miracle is when the Pope declares it as such, just as when he declares a saint or a blessed."
The Mexican prelate said that "I ordered investigations, and the conclusions have not been presented," therefore "the diocesan process has not been concluded."
The Bishop Emeritus of Chilpancingo-Chilapa stated that when the diocesan investigative process into the alleged Eucharistic miracle of Tixtla is finished, the conclusions will be sent to the Holy See, where the Pope will have the final decision.
"Here, they somewhat went ahead to declare a miracle, but officially the Pope must declare it," he reiterated.
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