BRISBANE, Australia – The Roman Catholic Church says an Australian community center did not commit fraud or gain financially from a hoax that drew worshippers from around the world.
Thousands of people flocked to the Vietnamese Community Church in Brisbane after several religious statues were reported to be weeping tears and bleeding. But claims of a miracle were quickly dispelled when a church investigation found the tear-like substance was commercially available rose oil.
The Archbishop says the center raised about 29-thousand U-S dollars from the time the weeping statues were first reported until they were removed from public view. He says the money will be donated to Catholic aid projects in Sudan and Bangladesh.
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