Mike Dash finds many reasons to be skeptical of stigmata reports. He examines why stigmatics started to materialize in 13th-century Italy:
Part of the answer seems to lie in the theological trends of the time. The Catholic Church of St. Francis’s day had begun to place much greater stress on the humanity of Christ, and would soon introduce a new feast day, Corpus Christi, into the calendar to encourage contemplation of his physical sufferings. Religious painters responded by depicting the crucifixion explicitly for the first time, portraying a Jesus who was plainly in agony from wounds that dripped blood.
(Image: Crucifixion by Guido da Siena via Wikimedia Commons)
The Dish 