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‘Weeping’ Mary draws hundreds

Owner says she awoke to find the figurine covered in oil, and it spoke to her

By AP 12 February 2014, 12:06 pm 8 Edit

A statue of the Virgin Mary that residents say 'weeps' oil has attracted thousands of visitors in the last week to an apartment belonging to the Khoury family, in Tarshiha, a small town near the Lebanon border, Tuesday, February 11, 2014 (photo credit: (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Hundreds of people have flocked to a small town in northern Israel to view a statue of the Virgin Mary that residents say “weeps” oil.

Members of a Christian family from Tarshiha, near the Lebanon border, say they have witnessed a miracle in their living room.

Osama Khoury said Tuesday that his wife Amira found the statue “covered with oil” recently. Amira said the statue “spoke to her” and told her not to be afraid. After a neighbor witnessed the oil, word soon spread.

Parts of the statue appear to be slick with moisture, even after it is wiped off.

The family says it is most striking when a “tear” seems to roll down the statue’s cheek. It says some 2,000 people have come to see the statue over the last week.