Following the conclusion of a lengthy investigative process, Pope Leo XIV declared the first miracle of his papacy, citing the recovery of an ill-fated infant born in a Rhode Island hospital.
The Pope last month granted approval to a miracle that occurred back in 2007 after the infant Tyquan Hall was born with no pulse at the now-closed Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island in Providence, R.I.
Hall’s physician at the time, Dr. Juan Sánchez-Esteban, a native of Huércal-Overa, Spain, reportedly invoked the name of Venerable Servant of God Valera Parra, a priest from Huércal-Overa, while praying for Hall’s recovery, according to a statement from the Diocese of Almería.
Shortly after the prayer, Hall began breathing and recovered without any developmental damage, the statement said.
The incident was later reported to the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island and began an investigation into the validity of the miracle claims.
The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The canonical process, which confirms the presence of an unexplained event, was carried out from September 8 to 19, 2014. On June 26, 2015, the diocesan phase was declared and the bishop opened an official inquiry into the alleged miracle, according to the Vatican’s press release.
The incident continued to be investigated until June 20, when the Pope granted the necessary approvals to declare the event an official miracle.
The Pope sanctified the miracle during an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican’s statement said.
The Rhode Island miracle is the first to be recognized since Pope Leo XIV was elected to the papacy on May 8th, 2025.