When interacting with Catholic Christians over the topic of miracles, the "miracles" at Lourdes, France usually are presented. Following are quotes and links on the topic:
"Of all the cures alleged to have occurred at Lourdes, however, none have involved dramatic, unambiguous events like the growing back of a severed limb. Belgian philosopher
Etienne Vermeersch likened this fact to the lack of clear, unambiguous data in support of the existence of
Bigfoot or the
Loch Ness monster. He also claimed that there have probably been significantly more fatal accidents suffered by pilgrims on their way to or from Lourdes than there have been cures."
Lourdes - The Skeptic's Dictionary
"Some 1,200 cures were said to have been observed between 1858 and 1889, and about one hundred more each year during the “Golden Age” of Lourdes, 1890–1914. We studied 411 patients cured in 1909–14 and thoroughly reviewed the twenty-five cures acknowledged between 1947 and 1976. No cure has been certified from 1976 through 2006." (amazing what you find as scientific analysis improves)
The Lourdes Medical Cures Revisited
"While the Catholic church teaches that God sometimes performs miracles, including cures, which doctors cannot explain, sceptics reject this as unscientific and explain that sudden recoveries as psychological phenomena or the delayed result of earlier treatment."
Lourdes finds the cure for lack of miracles: a less strict definition
"The new criteria shift the focus from scientific inquiry — can doctors explain it or not? — to a religious appreciation of the spiritual experience linked to improbable healing."
No new Lourdes miracles despite eased criteria
"No one is suggesting that the area was bone dry, of course. The photographs (such as they are for being a century old and poorly exposed) do seem to show overcast skies, and it’s perfectly plausible that there had been light rain that morning. But that’s a far cry from the claim that the pilgrims and land were “soaked,” and this discrepancy could easily account for why people’s clothes were—or seemed to be—dryer than they might have expected."
Fatima Miracle Claim All Wet
