Second miracle approved

The Congregation for Sainthood Causes in Rome has approved a second miracle that should lead to the canonisation of the Blessed Gorg Preca, the Archbishop's Curia said yesterday.

The decision was taken following a discussion held at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican headed by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins on Tuesday.

The decision was originally expected in the middle of last year but was delayed.

Pope John Paul II beatified Dun Gorg in May 2001 but he was still one miracle short of sainthood.

Just over a month after his beatification, an inexplicable medical recovery took place after prayers were said through the intercession of Blessed Gorg Preca for the recovery of a baby boy.

The boy, who was born on June 15, 2001, developed complications in the liver 20 days after his birth and was rushed to St Luke's Hospital for treatment, but his condition deteriorated.

It was decided to take the boy to King's College Hospital, a specialised hospital in London, where he was put in intensive care.

On July 18 of the same year the doctors decided that the child's only hope for survival was through a liver transplant. A date for the operation was fixed but it resulted that the liver available was not appropriate for the boy. At that stage prayers were said to Blessed Gorg Preca and a glove, used in his exhumation, was placed on the child.

On July 20, the boy's condition changed and his liver started functioning normally. Four days later the doctors decided he no longer needed a transplant.

Nobody could explain what led to the child's rapid recovery. The boy was certified as healthy.

In July 2002, a process to examine the possibility of presenting this case to the Congregation for Sainthood Causes was started.

The latest development, though highly significant, does not mean that Dun Gorg - who was declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Malta in May 2001 - will automatically become a saint.

The cause must first go to the Ordinary Congregation of Cardinals who will consider all the arguments before handing it over to Pope Benedict XVI for a final decision.

The first miracle through the intercession of the Blessed Gorg Preca dates back to February 1964 and was that of Charles Zammit Endrich, whose detached retina healed after he placed a relic of Dun Gorg under his pillow.

The cause for Dun Gorg's beatification was initiated in 1975.

The liturgical feast of Blessed Gorg Preca, founder of the MUSEUM Christian doctrine society, is celebrated on May 9.