The liquefaction of St. Gennaro's blood inside an ampule on Saturday in Naples, after Pope Francis kissed St. Gennaro's relic, is being deemed by many as a miracle.

St. Gennaro's blood is usually dry inside its glass ampoule. When Pope Francis kissed the relic, the dried blood suddenly liquefied.

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"It is the sign that St. Gennaro loves Pope Francis. Half of the blood turned to liquid," said Naples Archbishop Cardinal Crescenzo Sepe to a huge crowd inside the cathedral.

Pope Francis was quick to dismiss the Cardinal's claim and said "If only half of it liquefied, that means we still have to work to do. We have to do better. We only have half of the saint's love."

According to the Catholic Herald, the Saturday's "miracle" was the first time that the dried blood liquefied since 1848 when Pope Pius IX visited the relic.

When Pope John Paul visited in 1979 and when Pope Benedict visited in 2007, the blood did not liquefy.

Meanwhile, skeptics believe that the "miracle" occurred due to change of temperature conditions. Accordingly, the chemicals inside the ampoule makes the viscosity of the blood change when there is a change in room temperature, such as when the relic is taken away from its storage vault for public display.

The devotees of St. Gennaro, also known as St. Januarius, believe that the saint's blood liquefies three times a year --- September 19, which is St. Gennaro's feast day, the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, and on December 16. Accordingly, the blood will only liquefy if the people will pray enough.

St. Gennaro was the bishop of Naples until he was persecuted by Roman Emperor Diocletian. He died as a martyr in 305.

Back then, it was a tradition among Christians to collect the blood of the martyrs and placed it in the catacombs of the dead. The presence of blood signified that the person died as a martyr.

TagsPope Francis miracle, Naples miracle, St. Gennaro