Conclusion
Seen at different stages and from different points of view, this episode of mysticism concerning stigmatics in the years 1870-1930 takes on different meanings. At the same time it reveals a kind of female emancipation in the face of the authorities that wanted to control meaning, the emergence of a new lay spirituality amongst those of humble backgrounds, the building of collective support at a distance through the involvement of modern media stimulated by the rash of scientific controversies accessible to the wider public, and lastly, the expression of an anxiety amongst the whole religious community. In all these dimensions, this episode of mysticism has a political aspect, whether by being a conduit for legitimism, an element of local ecclesiastical conflict, or as an echo of the great confrontations underlying anti-clericalism. The stigmatics, as special witnesses to the mystery of Redemption, became political pawns and, on the evidence, the only function of stigmata was increasingly to provide proof of the authenticity of the message received. Those that observed them – men – doctors psychologists, clerics – were clearly divided depending on the value they placed on this individual experience but also on their political position in the Church and in the social sphere.
