Antonia Raco came to Lourdes in 2009 with severe neurological limitations. During her visit to the baths, her mobility returned; subsequent examinations confirmed that her symptoms had disappeared. Her earlier diagnosis of primary lateral sclerosis was reviewed repeatedly. After many years of observation and a favorable medical opinion, Bishop Vincenzo Carmine Orofino recognized the healing as the 72nd miracle of Lourdes on April 16, 2025.
The recognized case concerns an unexpected, complete, and lasting recovery from diagnosed primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), with restored walking ability and the disappearance of previously progressive neurological symptoms.
Further original photographs from the publisher
From the First Symptoms to Severe Limitations
The shrine's chronology describes severe headaches, cramps, general weakness, and increasing difficulty walking from 2004 onward. Antonia Raco was under the care of the University of Turin. Primary lateral sclerosis was diagnosed in 2006. Her condition continued to deteriorate; swallowing, speech, and respiratory function were also affected.[1]
The deterioration affected several everyday abilities. In 2005, difficulties swallowing and speaking developed alongside the walking problems. For 2008, the medical chronology records reduced respiratory capacity as well as weakness and signs of paralysis in all four limbs, more pronounced on the left. The development of her symptoms was therefore documented over several years before the pilgrimage took place.[1]
The Pilgrimage in the Summer of 2009
From July 30 to August 5, Raco traveled to Lourdes with UNITALSI. In the baths, she suddenly felt well and noticed that she could walk again. She spoke about it only after returning home. In August and September, medical examinations confirmed that the symptoms present since 2004 had disappeared; the examiners also maintained the original diagnosis.[1]
The Recovery Outlasted the Pilgrimage
Her regained mobility endured. Raco reported to the Lourdes Bureau in July 2010. The process could thus compare the earlier deterioration with the sustained recovery. Over the following years, her health continued to be monitored and the diagnostic classification was reviewed again.[1]
Reassessment of the Diagnosis
In 2013, the neurology department at the University of Milan confirmed the diagnosis and took over follow-up examinations. In 2017, the Lourdes Bureau assessed the healing as medically unexplained. In 2024, the CMIL reassessed the case in light of the international diagnostic consensus on PLS, which had since been validated, and gave a favorable majority vote.[1]
At her first presentation in 2010, the physicians present unanimously decided to open a dossier and compile her medical history. Further meetings followed in 2012, 2013, and 2016; the Bureau's final consultation in 2017 was the fifth. For the subsequent CMIL opinion, the explicit question was whether Raco had been unexpectedly, completely, and permanently healed of her PLS according to the criteria of the diagnostic consensus formulated in 2020 and validated in 2024.[1]
The Declaration in Tursi Cathedral
After the medical assessment, a medical and theological commission followed in the Diocese of Tursi-Lagonegro. Bishop Vincenzo Carmine Orofino declared the healing a miracle on April 16, 2025, during the Chrism Mass in Tursi Cathedral. The published episcopal statement names the illness examined and the relevant stages of investigation.[2]
On November 15, 2024, the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes forwarded the result to her home diocese of Tursi-Lagonegro. The local ecclesiastical decision followed only then. Raco and her husband were present at the announcement during the Chrism Mass in April 2025. Almost sixteen years thus separated her pilgrimage from recognition.[1][2]
Gratitude for a Life Regained
In the Church's recognition, Raco's recovery is understood as God's help through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes. The starting point of this gratitude remains concrete: a woman whose illness had increasingly restricted her mobility could walk independently again and resume her daily life.[1][2]
Witnesses & Investigators
The unfolding story
- Diagnosis
Primary lateral sclerosis in the published chronology.[1]
- Pilgrimage and Recovery
The changes are observed after the journey to Lourdes.[2]
- Report in Lourdes
The review of the records there begins.[1]
- Bureau
Collegial finding of an unexplained healing.[1]
- CMIL
Assessment incorporating newer diagnostic criteria.[1]
- Recognition
Ecclesiastical declaration in Tursi.[2]
Ecclesiastical assessment
Bishop Vincenzo Carmine Orofino recognized the healing as a miracle and divine sign on April 16, 2025; the CMIL had previously assessed its medically unexplained nature.
Objections & Answers
Was a possible misdiagnosis considered?
Yes. The diagnosis was reassessed after recovery, confirmed in Milan in 2013, and evaluated against the newer international PLS consensus before the CMIL vote in 2024. PLS means primary lateral sclerosis; it must not be equated with ALS here. The published chronology documents the repeated assessments but does not contain every neurological finding.[1]
What does the medical opinion state, and what did the bishop decide?
The CMIL affirmed an unexpected, complete, lasting recovery unexplained by medical knowledge. The bishop subsequently judged its miraculous nature in its religious context. The source mentions a majority vote but does not publish an exact vote count. The names Antonia and Antonietta refer to the same woman in the publications used.[1][2]
Meaning for faith
Raco's healing connects the lasting return of mobility with a diagnosis reviewed several times. The medical judgment was followed by the Church's recognition of the miracle in 2025.[1][2]
Examining Healings: From Findings to the Church's Judgment
Diagnosis, treatment, the course of healing, and ecclesiastical recognition are examined separately.
Methods of examination and ecclesiastical procedure →Sources & Evidence
Information on accessibility and scope helps you assess the evidence for yourself.
- [1] Antonia Raco, 72e miraculée de Lourdes
Chronology from the Bureau's circle; not a freely available complete patient dossier.
Open source · lourdes-france.com ↗ - [2] Dichiarazione del carattere miracoloso della guarigione di Antonia Raco
Official diocesan statement on recognition, not the complete medical report.
Open source · lourdes-france.com ↗
