| Recently the Postulator
of the Cause, taking into account the desire of many of the
faithful who looked forward to the canonization of Blessed
Arnold, submitted for judgement to this Congregation for the
Causes of Saints a presumed miracle which took place in Baguio
City, Philippines. The case concerns a fourteen year old girl,
Pamela Avellanosa, who at about 2:00 p.m. of January 2, 1995,
fell from her bicycle, suffering a grave cranial-encephalic
trauma. Admitted to hospital several hours later after losing
consciousness, she was diagnosed as being in a profound coma,
with pupilar mydriasis and respiratory arrest after a period
of grave respiratory difficulty. In the intensive care unit
she was intubated and placed on assisted respiration. Initially,
the doctors, seeing the profound state of the coma and the
gravity of the situation, concluded that a surgical procedure
would be useless; but, then, at about 7:30 p.m. of that same
day, without the necessary physical tests, they went ahead
and performed a craniotomy on the right side revealing a very
large epidural hematoma which was removed. The doctors feared
for the girl's life and, in the event that she survived, they
predicted very grave aftereffects from the injury and even
a vegetative state.
Meanwhile, from about 6:00 p.m. onwards the grandmother of
Pamela and the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual
Adoration had begun to invoke the intercession of Blessed
Arnold to obtain from God the girl's healing. And in fact,
she rapidly began to improve until she had reached complete
recovery. In 1999 the Apostolic Vicariate of Baguio opened
up a diocesan investigation into the presumed miracle, an
investigation which was recognized as juridically valid by
this Dicastery with the Decree of April 7, 2000. The Medical
Commission, in its meeting of April 18, 2002, admitted that
the cure was rapid, lasting and scientifically unexplainable.
On October 8, 2002, there was a special Session of the Consulting
Theologians. On November 19, 2002 there was the ordinary Session
of the Curial Fathers, Cardinals and Bishops, in the presence
of the Relator of the Cause, Most Rev. Giuseppe Coppa, Titular
Archbishop of Serta. In both Sessions, that of the Consulting
Theologians as well as that of the Cardinals and Bishops,
to the question as to whether in this case one could speak
of a genuine and authentic miracle, the response was affirmative.
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