The Vatican has announced that 2017 is likely to be a year of "catastrophes" and "fatal" after the annual "miraculous blood" ritual failed.
The dried blood of Saint Januarius did not become liquefied as usual at a ceremony in Italy on Saturday. The Vatican says that, as a rule, this is an omen that "catastrophic events" are impending.
According to Businessinsider.com, the blood ceremony of Saint Januarius, or San Gennaro, is held several times a year.
The blood is stored in special ampoules and is liquid during the ceremony.
The miracle has been regularly recorded since 1389.
Hieromartyr Januarius, who suffered during the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Diocletian, is revered as the heavenly patron of Naples. The capsule with his blood has been preserved by believers since the 4th century. The dried blood of the saint regularly turns into liquid form on the day of his feast.
If the miracle of liquefaction does not occur, it could portend disaster for the months and years to come.
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The blood was not liquid in 1939, the year then World War II broke out, and in 1980, when there was a strong earthquake in Italy. It consisted of seven shocks with a force of up to 6.8 on the Richter scale, claimed the lives of 3 thousand people, 1.5 thousand were missing, 8 thousand were wounded, 200 thousand people were left homeless. The earthquake covered a vast area of 26 thousand square kilometers between Naples and Potenza.
2016 was also a rather “bad” year. It was a year of political turmoil for both the United States and Britain, while the Syrian civil war destroyed much of the city of Aleppo and indiscriminate massacres took place.
