In Argentina, 44-year-old Leda Bergonzi, known as the Healer of Rosario, is gaining popularity. After becoming a well-known healer in the country, the former seamstress and mother of five attracted the attention not only of her compatriots, but also of the Catholic Church in Argentina.
Argentina’s history is rich with religious healers, but none have reached such heights as Leda Bergonzi. As an ordinary woman, she realized that she had the gift of healing from God and decided to use it for charitable purposes.
The Catholic Church supports her and calls the Healer Rosario phenomenon part of an internal movement within the church.
Leda stands out not only because of her unusual gift, but also because of her informal clothing style: skinny jeans, T-shirts and high sneakers make her recognizable. Drawing crowds, she spends her days in her hometown of Rosario healing people from ailments ranging from paralysis to cancer.
Her meetings resemble evangelistic services with music, blessings and miracles. However, this is not just any show: hundreds of testimonials from people she has healed and the support of the Catholic Church give Leda credibility. It attracts not only practicing Catholics, but also those who have long left the faith.
Every week, some 20,000 people flock to Rosario to receive Leda’s blessing. The lines for her events sometimes exceed a kilometer, and people are willing to wait more than twelve hours to see healer Rosario.
In addition to her singing, which is said to have a healing effect, Leda touches the forehead of the affected person and says something mysterious. The consequences of this are varied – from inner peace to fainting.
There was a 21-year-old woman who was paralyzed and intubated. The 66-year-old former truck driver who lost his voice two years ago. A 56-year-old who gradually lost his sight.
They rode buses from all over the country, camped overnight and stood in line for hours. Then, one by one, on crutches and in wheelchairs, holding babies and carrying photos of faraway relatives, they approached the woman they hoped would heal them.
And one by one they began to faint.
At the front of a crowded warehouse, 44-year-old Leda Bergonzi placed her hand on each of their foreheads and whispered in their ears. As she blessed them, some grabbed her, sobbing uncontrollably. Others fell into her arms or fell to the concrete floor. Members of her team were ready to catch people if they fell.
“I said to myself: I will go with all my confidence and give it a try,” said Jorge Fernández, a 56-year-old former bricklayer who lost his sight after a traffic accident in 2019 and had traveled to Bergonzi’s ceremony for the sixth time. “Thanks to God and Leda’s touch I began to see again,” reports washingtonpost.com.
Leda Bergonzi travels through the countries of South America and attracts the attention not only of believers, but also of the curious. She manages her finances frugally and donates food to people in need. Leda says she is simply following God’s call.
Some see it as redemption and an opportunity to bring millions of people back to the church, while others fear that a focus on miracles could harm the church’s interests.
