Incorruptible bodies are a common feature of Catholic beliefs about miracles and saints. For those who don't know, incorruptibility is the phenomenon of corpses not showing signs of typical decomposition allegedly without any external manipulation of the body. Catholics believe that if a body shows such signs, then this can be seen as evidence of sainthood (that one is in Heaven).
Now before we even begin to analyze this phenomenon itself we have to ask, why does it matter? It matters because Catholics view these alleged miracles as evidence of the truth of their religion and wave them around to attract converts and keep doubters in the fold. Now the interesting thing is that this isn't even solely a Catholic phenomenon, similar observations have been made about the bodies of Buddhist monks. The most famous example is perhaps that of Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, a Buddhist monk living in the 19th and early 20th centuries whose corpse displayed the same "incorruptible" qualities Catholics ascribe to the bodies of various saints.
So if incorruptibility is waved around as a sign that Catholicism is true, then why did God bestow that miracle upon Buddhist monks as well to act as a counter claim to Catholicism's supposed monopoly over the phenomenon? Apologists will say that God is not restricted from working miracles for people of other religions, but then why are some saints' bodies corruptible while some Buddhist monks' bodies are incorruptible? Why work that particular miracle for another religion when its sole presence in the "true religion" would attract converts? "It's one of God's mysteries, we don't know what his overall plan is" say the apologists; how convenient.
Now to the phenomenon itself. First off incorruptible bodies simply aren't incorruptible in the sensationalist sense of the word. Many young Catholics are told these stories about incorruptible Saints and are led to believe that the bodies remain as they were at the moment of death. This simply isn't the case, the body of St. Virginia Centurione is claimed to be incorruptible and yet if you look up a photo, the corpse shows clear signs of significant decomposition to the point of looking like a mummy. So essentially the alleged miracles are: "God lets the bodies of these particular saints decompose at a slower rate." Is this really that impressive? I say no, and especially not when you give scientific explanations first priority over the miraculous explanations that only survive based on the momentum of centuries of superstition surrounding this phenomenon.
Now before we even begin to analyze this phenomenon itself we have to ask, why does it matter? It matters because Catholics view these alleged miracles as evidence of the truth of their religion and wave them around to attract converts and keep doubters in the fold. Now the interesting thing is that this isn't even solely a Catholic phenomenon, similar observations have been made about the bodies of Buddhist monks. The most famous example is perhaps that of Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, a Buddhist monk living in the 19th and early 20th centuries whose corpse displayed the same "incorruptible" qualities Catholics ascribe to the bodies of various saints.
So if incorruptibility is waved around as a sign that Catholicism is true, then why did God bestow that miracle upon Buddhist monks as well to act as a counter claim to Catholicism's supposed monopoly over the phenomenon? Apologists will say that God is not restricted from working miracles for people of other religions, but then why are some saints' bodies corruptible while some Buddhist monks' bodies are incorruptible? Why work that particular miracle for another religion when its sole presence in the "true religion" would attract converts? "It's one of God's mysteries, we don't know what his overall plan is" say the apologists; how convenient.
Now to the phenomenon itself. First off incorruptible bodies simply aren't incorruptible in the sensationalist sense of the word. Many young Catholics are told these stories about incorruptible Saints and are led to believe that the bodies remain as they were at the moment of death. This simply isn't the case, the body of St. Virginia Centurione is claimed to be incorruptible and yet if you look up a photo, the corpse shows clear signs of significant decomposition to the point of looking like a mummy. So essentially the alleged miracles are: "God lets the bodies of these particular saints decompose at a slower rate." Is this really that impressive? I say no, and especially not when you give scientific explanations first priority over the miraculous explanations that only survive based on the momentum of centuries of superstition surrounding this phenomenon.
