The Catholic Church in Samoa will ask a church layman to stop giving members of the public “oil” that has been seeping from a “weeping statue” at his home at Leufisa.
The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Apia, Father Pio Galumalemana, told Samoa Observer on Thursday that he will be advising layman Brother Vincent James of the Divine Mercy Order, to stop promoting the oil on social media.
Father Pio said only the Archbishop can give approval for such oil to be given to the public.
“The oil is not sacramental oil, there are different types of oil. Sacramental oil is used by Priests,” he said.
He added that so-called “miracle oil” like the oil at Leufisa can only be called that after confirmation from the church leaders in Rome.
According to Father Pio, when something like the weeping statue happens it is not automatically confirmed as a miracle.
“It will take years for it to be researched in Rome. It still happens, miracles can happen to anyone. We just have to listen to [Brother] James and his interpretation of the miracle if it says he is a messenger, and why these miracles are happening.”
“There has been no statement from the church or from the Archbishop regarding this. It can happen to everyone, it does not only happen to James.”
Many people have been going to Leufisa to get the miracle oil and Father Pio said they are not all Catholics.
Photo: Samoa Observer
