Guadalupana controversy: priest responds to skeptics of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the new book

In his new book Guadalupana controversyFr. Mario Arroyo, a doctor in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Santa Cruz de Roma, aims to “establish” a dialogue with the skeptics of the appearances of the Virgin of Guadalupe, “those people who have reservations about the historicity of the same.”

This is explained in recent dialogue with ACI Press. “Interdisciplinarity between faith, religion, science, history and anthropology is very important to put in order the different pieces of the Guadalupano event,” he adds.

“Throughout the twentieth century there was a close relationship between science and devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe, especially for the study of the eyes of the Virgin through the investigations of the Peruvian scientist José Aste Tönsman,” said Fr. Arroyo, who also referred to the “analysis that American scientists did in analysis of the image of Guadalupe, taking photographs with infrared rays.”

“In both cases, scientific instruments were used to analyze the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and in both cases it was found that there was no scientific explanation, whether to the images that are perceived in the eyes of the Virgin and the effects observed in the eyes of the Virgin. For example, the Purkinje-Samson effect, which is typical of a living person that is observed in the eyes of the Virgin.”

“That is, the sacred mantle of the Virgin is open to scientific research to try to determine its nature, its origin and characteristics, and see if the requirements of a supernatural reality are met,” he said.

However, he regretted that sometimes there have been a case of Catholics “that exaggerate some results of alleged scientific research that have never really been given”, in cases such as those that say that “the mantle has the temperature of a living person, which the heartbeat is detected, that the painting is floating on the mantle”, among other myths.

“In my book, academic and skeptical criticism about the Virgin plays a very important role,” he said, pointing out that “a person who does not have a very lively faith can find a point of interest, reflection, questioning (…) analyzing or knowing at least the realities hardly explainable or inexplicable of the Guadalupano event, especially those that refer to the scientific research conducted with infrared rays and analyzing the eyes of the Virgin in the twentieth century. ”

Through this work, said Fr. Arroyo, aims to “question” the “belief system” of skeptics or agnostics, “sow the worm of doubt” in his skepticism, opening the doors to faith.

Guadalupana controversy It can be acquired Through Amazon.