On this remote isle, a Saint Mary icon endured flames of war

Far out in the South Pacific, there’s a tropical island called Bougainville. Its people are devoutly Catholic — with a twist. Many revere the Virgin Mary almost as much as her son, Jesus. Women are exalted in the island’s culture as givers of life and sometimes makers of miracles. In this reprised story, The World’s Patrick Winn visited Bougainville, discovering an icon of Saint Mary believed to have supernatural powers.

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