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Image of Christ on rock draws hundreds in Mexico
An image that resembles Jesus Christ on a rock is drawing hundreds of believers to the mountains of southern Chiapas state.
An image that resembles Jesus Christ on a rock is drawing hundreds of believers to the mountains of southern Chiapas state.
Gregorio Gomez, a 57-year-old Tzotzil Indian, said a voice told him in a dream last month that he would find an image of Christ on a rock.
Last week, he stumbled across the image as he was walking near his village of Santa Anita, on Huitepec mountain, rising 2,270 meters (7,447 feet) above sea level.
"I saw it and there was Christ," said Gomez, standing in front of the rock marked with what appeared to be part of a face and body. News of the apparition travelled quickly, and hundreds of people have since hiked to the stone to see the apparition firsthand and leave a candle.
Bishop Felipe Arismendi Esquivel of the San Cristobal Dioceses said he has seen photos of the image but that the church must investigate before determining its authenticity.
But he added, if "these methods help people to live more united in Huitepec, to strengthen their faith, then good, but I hope that they don't rely on something (to bring about miracles) that has not been adequately proven."
