[miracle cure] they do a lot of this in france

Was there ever an issue to challenge and divide an otherwise friendly community of bloggers? 

A French nun, on March 30th, recounted her “miracle” cure from Parkinson’s disease in testimony that could prompt the Roman Catholic Church to make Pope John Paul II a saint. Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, 46, explained how her illness, which had been in an advanced state and is considered irreversible, was “cured” overnight in 2005 after her congregation prayed to the late pope to intervene. When asked whether she believed her recovery was a miracle, she replied: “I was ill, and now I am cured. The rest is for the Church to decide. 

The Aix-en-Provence diocese finished its year-long investigation into the nun’s claims last week. “The Church has deep respect for science, and it had to be established that there is no explanation using current scientific knowledge: this is where science and faith meet,” said Father Luc-Marie Lalanne, who led the investigation.  To qualify as a miracle in the Vatican’s eyes, a patient’s recovery must be sudden, complete and permanent, and inexplicable by doctors.  

The nun is to fly to Rome to take part in the process that will culminate in the beatification of the late pontiff, which would put him on the first step to sainthood. Catholic observers suggested there may be political considerations for choosing Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre’s case over other alleged miracle cures: her congregation was very close to John Paul II and they had suffered from the same disease.

Can’t you just see the bemused smiles, the cynical disdain, the snorts of disgust from most of the blogosphere?  As for me, I don’t know, so how can I speculate?  It’s all too convenient, as the last journalistic paragraph points out and yet – why not?  Do you believe miracles can’t happen? And if you put it down to some amazing property of the desiring mind over matter, then is that not also miraculous or at the very least, wonderful? 

And whom do we praise for such a marvel of bio-technology?  Or are we so hell bent on refusing to give credit where credit is due – do we put it in the ‘too hard’ basket and skip over it?