In early February 1995, 5-year-old Jessica Gregori in Civitavecchia, Italy, noticed tears of blood on the face of a statue that had been bought at a store in the Medjugorje Shrine in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The statue wept 13 times in the presence of many people, who gave their testimonies to a Commission of Inquiry. It was then entrusted to the local bishop, Bishop Grillo, who, to his great surprise, saw it crying again on March 15, while holding it in his own hands.
The bishop had the statue examined by scientists who found no tampering or internal devices. The tears were ruled to be of human male blood. On June 17, Bishop Grillo retrieved the statue and placed it in a display case in the church of St. Augustine. Although the Holy See hasn't issued an official statement declaring it a miracle, countless pilgrims come to venerate "the Madonna of Civitavecchia".