VATICAN CITY — From dust we all came, but to dust we will not all necessarily return, at least not right away.

The incorruptibles — saints whose bodies do not decompose when they should — are in the spotlight again. That's because, on June 3, Pope John XXIII returned to St. Peter's Square 38 years after his death — and it seemed like he hadn't changed a bit.

The remains of Blessed John XXIII were discovered to be largely intact when his casket was exhumed from the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica last year.

Cardinal Virgilio Noè, archpriest of the basilica, told reporters that the incorrupt body of Blessed John “is a providential coincidence, a sign of divine favor and of holiness.” But he stopped short of calling it a miracle.

As is usual in such cases, the Church is not jumping to any conclusions. The Zenit news service reported that Church officials have been quick to explain that while it is unusual, they do not necessarily consider the state of the corpse to be a miracle in this case.

There are two reasons for this stance. First, though not embalmed, the body was treated with formalin, a preservative, before it was allowed to lie in state in 1963. Second, when the Pope was buried, he was placed inside of three coffins which would have kept out oxygen and helped to preserve the body.

Msgr. Francis Weber, archivist for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, used to work for Pierce Brother's Mortuary in Los Angeles where he “held every position except that of embalmer — for which a state license was required.”

He said that the three coffins in which Pope John XXIII was buried “certainly would retard the decomposition [of his corpse].” While Msgr. Weber noted that an incorrupt corpse “can be a sign of the preternatural,” he was quick to add that it doesn't have to be.

In fact, the condition of John XXIII's body is not unique.

There exists many cases of inexplicably incorrupt bodies. Almost all are linked to Catholic saints, according to Joan Carroll Cruz, author of The Incorruptibles.

She added that this might be the case simply because the Church exhumes so many bodies — it is a requirement of the canonization process. Nevertheless, over the centuries, the corpses of many venerable, blessed and canonized Catholics have remained incorrupt in a variety of locales and circumstances.

Cruz has documented the stories of the corpses of more than 100 incorrupt venerable, beatified and canonized persons, with an eye to answering the objections of scientists and skeptics. Msgr. Weber made the point that the bodies of the incorruptibles differ from “mummies which are pickled” so that the preservative reaches the cellular level.

It is also possible, though unusual, for the Church to accept an incorrupt corpse as an official miracle that can be used in a canonization cause.

Cruz cites the 19th-century case of St. Andrew Bobola “the condition of [whose] body, though mutilated because of the wounds inflicted during his martyrdom, was ultimately accepted by the Vatican as one of the miracles required for his canonization.”

But like Msgr. Weber, Cruz told the Register that the manner in which the body of John XXIII was buried means that, at least for now, it is “not a miracle.”

Many Are Miraculous

However, she noted that with many other incorrupt bodies, the condition “seems to be a miracle.”

Cruz said that the most incredible one is a rather recent case that occurred at the turn of the last century with the body of St. Charbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese monk who died in 1898, and whose case she has documented in detail.

Cruz writes that St. Charbel was buried in the ground without being embalmed or placed in a coffin. However, a brilliant light “surrounded his tomb for 45 nights following his interment.” Therefore, several months later, his corpse was exhumed.

At that time, said Cruz, “He was floating in mud,” a situation which she explained is “supposed to bring on corruption.” But an examination of the body in 1950 revealed that it was still “flexible and lifelike,” and was “perfectly free of corruption,” although part of the clothing had rotted away.

The body remained incorrupt for 67 years and exuded a mysterious oil during that time — occurrences that do not easily lend themselves to a scientific rationale.

In addition, according to Cruz, given the initial mud burial and subsequent exposure to oxygen, this lack of corruption is practically impossible to explain. Today, only the bones remain, though not in a completely natural state. They are inexplicably red in color, according to Cruz.

Msgr. Weber confirmed that bodies buried in the ground, especially those in wet ground, don't remain intact. Based on his experience in the funeral industry, he said, “where [corpses] are buried in the ground in a casket, there is invariably corruption.”

He recalled one temporary exception — a man whose corpse he helped to exhume in Nashville, Tenn.

But although the well-preserved corpse could be seen through the glass window in the top of the coffin, Msgr. Weber recalled: “The minute we broke the seal of the coffin the corpse went black and decomposed.” There was little left after 24 hours.

Tom Serafin, founder of the International Crusade for Holy Relics USA, a group devoted to preserving relics of the saints and other Catholic treasures, has several relics of incorrupt saints.

He said that it is incredible that in the documented cases of incorrupt saints “[the corpses] have not become putrid.” As he put it, “a pair of socks after a basketball game smells worse.” In fact, in many cases, Joan Carroll Cruz points out, the corpses have actually given off a sweet-smelling perfume.

St. Rita's Eyes

Although unavailable to speak to the Register, in the online “Skeptics Dictionary,” Robert Carroll, Professor of Philosophy at Sacramento City College, notes: “The Catholic Church claims there are many incorruptible bodies and that they are divine signs of the holiness of the persons whose bodies they used to be. Perhaps, but they are more likely signs of careful or lucky burial, combined with ignorance regarding the factors that affect rate of decay.”

He ultimately concludes: “Immutable human bodies are ultimately cases of apparent immutability. Given enough time and removed from the special conditions which delay the decay process (such as absence of oxygen, bacteria, worms, light, etc.), all human bodies and body parts disinte-grate.”

In her book, Joan Carroll Cruz is careful to answer such claims by pointing out that the varied places of burial and backgrounds of those holy individuals whose bodies are preserved refute generalizations about burial circumstances. And even if all bodies will ultimately decay, those that have survived burials in water, mud, earth and quicklime — surefire means to quick decay — remain visible witnesses to the fact that something more than luck seems to be at work, according to Cruz.

She documents many other seemingly inexplicable cases of incorruption, including those of St. Francis Xavier, who died in 1552, and St. Rita of Cassia, who died in 1457.

St. Francis Xavier's corpse was buried without embalming and with several bags of quicklime in order to speed its destruction. Remarkably, it remained totally intact until the 1930s. Though the body is no longer completely lifelike in appearance, Cruz's book points out that even Newsweek, in a 1974 article, stated that the body is “surprisingly well preserved.”

The body of St. Rita of Cassia is also still in remarkable condition despite some minor injuries and discoloration. Even more shocking, however, is the fact that this saint's corpse opened its eyes unaided about 150 years after her death, and has several times been documented to move of its own accord.

Of course, though it doesn't detract from those saints that are incorrupt, Msgr. Weber points out that many great saints have decomposed, and Cruz, too, urges caution.

And as to whether Pope John XXIII's corpse will ultimately fall into the “preternatural” category, Msgr. Weber said it will be a matter of waiting — probably a very long wait.

But whatever happens in this case, Tom Serafin thinks that perhaps God is trying to send people a message by preserving the bodies of certain saints.

“I don't know why God does this,” he said. “Maybe it's a way for Christ to remind people that these [saints] are still his vehicles — our intercessors.”