'Miracle' discovered in church as Virgin Mary statue is pictured 'blinking' by worshippers

A churchgoer in Ohio has described witnessing a 'miracle' as photos caught the moment a religious statue appeared to 'blink'.

The captivating scene took place at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Canton, Ohio on Friday (August 9), when the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima stopped there as part of an ongoing tour.

The statue aims to spread the message of Our Lady of Fatima, a Catholic title for Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was commissioned in 1947.

The statue depicts the religious figure with her mouth slightly turned upwards and her eyes open, but on Friday her eyes appeared to close for just a moment.

The vision was witnessed by churchgoer Connie Liptak, who told Fox8: "I knew it was a miracle because I’d been looking at her all morning. They’re really closed. I mean, you can really see her lashes are down.”

Images of the scene were captured by Katie Moran, who is the president of the World Apostolate of Fatima USA.

She was just taking pictures to share on social media when she saw that the statue's eyes were apparently closed.

The statue appeared to close its eyes in the image. (Fox8)

Moran recalled: “I took it and thought, ‘that’s really nice,’ and I took one more to be sure and when I looked at it, the eyes were closed and I go, ‘wow!’"

While it might seem hard to believe, this isn't the first 'miracle' attributed to the statue.

Reports of healings and other unexplained events have been associated with the Our Lady of Fatima statue, with its custodian, Larry Maginot, saying: “We know that she’s wept 15 times."

Moran added: "According to theologians, mystically her presence is there with the statue."

Moran expressed belief the statue is sending a warning to the world - though exactly what that warning is about remains to be seen.

The statue has been associated with previous miracles. (Fox8)

“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. for those who don’t, no proof is possible,” she said. “It’s faith and I believe.”

Liptak also dismissed any non-believers, saying: “I just say, ‘I don’t lie, I know what I’ve seen and I believe what I’ve seen'."

If you're curious to see the statue for yourself, it's set to remain on tour in Northeast Ohio until 21 August. Its next stop begins on Tuesday (August 13), when it will appear at St. Michaels at 463 Robinson Road in Campbell, Ohio.

The statue is designed according to specifications given by Venerable Sister Lucia from Portugal, who reported seeing apparitions of Jesus’s mother in 1917.