Bishop Claims Half Miracle While Pope Is in Town

The archbishop of Naples claimed that the dried blood of the city's patron saint began to turn liquid in an ampoule on Saturday while Pope Francis was in the cathedral where the relic is stored. Faithful believe the "miracle" of St. Gennaro can occur three times a year on certain regular feast days if they pray enough after it is taken out of a vault and put on display. More scientifically minded skeptics say the "miracle" is due to chemicals present in the ampoule that make the viscosity of the blood change when it is moved, as it was on Saturday when it was removed from the vault for the pope's visit. Francis appeared surprised by the cardinal's announcement. He took back the microphone and reacted to his words with a joke without taking a position on the popular tradition.