Stigmata case divides Samoans, expert attributes to religious stress, rapid social change
Rapid social change and the challenge of new religious movements to mainstream Christianity in Samoa may have played a role in a case where a young woman has developed wounds on her body similar to those portrayed in Christian scripture, an expert says.Toaipuapuaga Opapo Soana'i, 23, developed the stigmata, as the wounds on her hands and feet are called, when she played Jesus in a Sunday school Easter play at the Congregational Church where her father is a minister.The incident divided Samoans — some saw it as a miracle, while others said it was a hoax and suggested she needed psychological counselling.Professor Paul Morris from the department of religious studies at Victoria University of Wellington said it was extremely unusual for stigmata to occur outside of the Roman Catholic Church.\It is unusual... there are literally a handful of non-Catholic stigmata cases
