Rocco and Francesca Rulli: The Believers Still Reside in Manoppello

While there’s no denying there are many diverse belief systems within Christianity itself, there are some aspects, items, treasures, and spaces that are considered holy almost across the board. Amongst them is actually the wondrous Holy Face of Jesus in Manoppello, Italy, as it’s believed to possibly be true “Veil of Veronica,” as carefully explored in Netflix’s ‘Mysteries of the Faith.’ Yet, for now, if you simply wish to learn more about the way it can wholly affect its believers through the narrative of locals Rocco and Francesca Rulli, in particular, we’ve got the details for you.

Who Are Rocco and Francesca Rulli?

As a proud Manoppello native through and through, Rocco wholeheartedly believes that the Holy Face safeguarded in his city is the real one for more than just a single age-old reason. Part of it is definitely the fact he’s been taught this from a young age, but a majority of it goes to the way this relic has allegedly performed miracles for his family for over three generations now. As per his own narrative, his father was a mine worker back in the late 1940s/early 1950s, and one day, he went to work after looking upon the shrine to pay his respects, which arguably saved his life.

Rocco’s father was supposed to step into the mines right in the morning but was stopped by his supervisor and asked to take the afternoon shift instead. Little did anyone know that more than 200 workers would wound up getting stuck deep inside the same day, only to be rescued more than 24 hours later, by which point, it was already way too late for many — they couldn’t survive the heat. Rocco’s father was incredibly lucky in this, yet he roes credited the relic for saving his life and allowing him to return home, where he was soon able to meet his wife and establish a family of his own.

As for Rocco himself, he served in the military back in the 1970s and truly believes the Holy Face is the reason he was able to survive not just the war but also the intense, extensive trauma to follow. After all, his platoon was stationed at a particular point while his team was on a dangerous clearance mission a few miles away, with explicit orders to return right in the dead of the night itself. However, as circumstances would have it, they were only able to make their way back the following morning, just to find the entire space buried beneath rubble owing to an air strike and earthquake.

Rocco was saved too, and like his father, he credited his religion, belief, and loved ones for it, especially once he realized the shrine was what he’d paid his respects to prior to leaving. Then comes the nothing-short-of-miraculous tale of his daughter Francesca, who was nearly dead following a hemorrhage back in 2003, just to be alive and well a mere day later after her parents had spent the entire day at church. Her condition was actually to such an extent that her doctors had not only medically given up but also already asked Rocco if he’d consider donating his baby girl’s organs to help others.

Where Are Rocco and Francesca Rulli Now?

However, to everyone’s surprise, Francesca was alive, awake, and doing a crossword puzzle a mere 24 hours later, which even experts could not explain, no matter how many medical tests they ran. Therefore, even if a few scientists have claimed that this veil could possibly be a print on an old fabric, both Rocco and his daughter wholeheartedly believe it to be the true Holy face with miraculous powers within.

As for their current personal standing, from what we can tell, while the 68-year-old seems to be leading a quiet retired life in his hometown surrounded by his loved ones, Francesca appears to be a happily married mother of two, building a good life for her own little family in Manoppello, Italy.