What exactly are Stigmata?
Stigmata are the wounds Christ suffered at the crucifixion, from the nails that pinned him to the cross, the crown of thorns and the spear in his side. For nearly 800 years the Catholic Church has documented cases of people developing some or all of the stigmata. The first person recorded to have stigmata was Saint Francis of Assisi in 1224. Since then about 500 people have developed the wounds of Christ. Cases have been recorded all over the world from South America to Europe (even England), many of these stigmatics have become saints. Strangely when it was believed that Christ was nailed to the cross through his palms stigmatics developed wounds accordingly. As experts have recently proven he would have been nailed through his wrists stigmatics are now starting to bleed from their wrists. Some stigmatics don’t bleed or have any wounds but they experience the pain of the crucifixion – imaginatively they are called invisible stigmata. Some have the mark of the spear on their side and o
