Parents of Baby Born Holding Devotion Medal Seek Church's Help

Parents of a two-month-old baby reportedly born holding a Catholic rosary have appealed to Church authorities to urgently investigate what they describe as strange and frightening occurrences surrounding their child.

The incident was reported in Saali Village, Gomba District, where the parents say they are overwhelmed and unable to understand what is happening to their baby.

According to the mother, Sylvia Nakalanzi, the situation has left them helpless, as the child’s condition appears abnormal and beyond medical explanation.

She explained that shortly after the baby was privately baptized at Bukalagi Church, unusual events began to occur.

The child reportedly started exhibiting alarming symptoms, including bleeding from different parts of the body, sweating blood, and producing blood in saliva.

Despite these signs, medical examinations at various health facilities have reportedly shown that the baby is physically healthy, with no identifiable medical condition.

The baby, named Anthony Tulinawe, was born on February 1, already holding a Catholic medal—something the parents describe as extraordinary.

Nakalanzi further claims that since birth, the child has been associated with other unusual occurrences, including attracting crowds of people who come to see him, unexplained flashes of light in the house at night, and an unusually firm grip on the rosary, which he reportedly refuses to release.

Concerned residents advised the parents to take the child to church for prayers. However, when they visited Bukalagi Parish, the parish priest, Fr. Emmanuel Kiganda, reportedly declined to pray for the child and asked them to leave.

“We were advised to take the baby to church for prayers, but when we reached Bukalagi, the priest chased us away and refused to help,” Nakalanzi said.

Following this, the parents decided to secretly baptize the child without informing the priest about the circumstances of his birth.

“They told us not to inform the priest that the child was born holding a rosary, so we didn’t,” she added.

The baby was later named Anthony Tulinawe, inspired by Saint Anthony, whom the family associates with the medal the child was born holding.

However, after the baptism, the situation reportedly worsened. Nakalanzi claims that the following day, the baby began bleeding from the lower part of the body down to the legs.

She said that any cloth used to wipe the baby—whether a towel or bedsheet—would turn red as if soaked in blood.

The parents sought medical help from several facilities, including Bukandula and Kanoni, where scans were conducted. Doctors reportedly found no medical abnormalities.

“We were told the baby is normal and healthy, yet what we see is frightening,” she said.

Nakalanzi added that the bleeding episodes occur unpredictably. In one instance, while she was in the garden, the baby suddenly began bleeding from the upper body and mouth despite appearing normal earlier.

While she says she has somewhat grown used to the episodes, she admits that the situation remains deeply distressing.

The mother also expressed concern over community reactions, saying some people have advised her to abandon the child, claiming he is possessed.

“Some people have told me to throw the baby away, saying he is not human but a demon. This has hurt me deeply,” she said.

She has now appealed to Catholic Church leaders in Uganda to intervene and investigate the matter thoroughly.

“I am asking the Church to help me understand what God intended with this child. I was chased away when I sought help at Bukalagi Parish—what should I do?” she asked.

Nakalanzi also suggested that at times, the child appears as though he is trying to reveal something, but fear prevents her from understanding what it could be.

As of now, baby Anthony still tightly holds onto the medal he was reportedly born with and does not allow anyone to remove it, even while asleep.