Pope Leo XIV has confirmed the first officially recognized miracle of his papacy, involving the unexplained revival of a newborn in Rhode Island whose heart had stopped for over an hour. The doctor who pronounced the infant dead is now sharing the extraordinary sequence of events, revealing that in a moment of desperation, he turned to a 19th-century Spanish priest in prayer—and believes that prayer was answered.

The event took place on January 14, 2007, at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, which has since closed. Baby Tyquan Hall was delivered via emergency C-section in a critical state. According to the Diocese of Almería, the newborn had suffered from oxygen deprivation and was delivered pale, limp, and cyanotic. Despite prolonged efforts by medical staff to resuscitate him, Tyquan’s heartbeat ceased altogether.

Dr. Juan Sánchez-Esteban, the attending physician and a native of Almería, Spain, was faced with the grim task of informing the family. In those final moments, the doctor offered a quiet, deeply personal prayer to Father Salvador Valera Parra, a priest from his childhood whose name he had learned from his parents. “Fr. Valera, I have done everything I can. Now it’s your turn,” he whispered.

Father Valera Parra, who lived from 1816 to 1889, was known in his time for tending to the ill during a cholera epidemic in Andalusia. Though venerated in Spain, no miracle had ever been attributed to him—until now.

Just as Dr. Sánchez-Esteban began walking down the corridor to break the devastating news to the family, a nurse came running after him with stunning news: the child had inexplicably begun breathing again. Moments after the prayer, Tyquan’s heartbeat had returned, and he was alive.

According to church authorities, the child not only survived but also went on to thrive without any of the severe neurological impairments that often follow such extended periods of oxygen deprivation. The Diocese of Almería confirmed that Tyquan avoided conditions like cerebral palsy or developmental delays, which experts had feared would be inevitable.

The Chancellor of the Diocese of Providence, Rev. Timothy Reilly, later stated that what happened to Tyquan was beyond medical understanding. “The baby had not taken a breath for 65 minutes, and yet recovered without explanation. That really kind of played out in my mind when I thought about it,” Reilly said. “Something outside this world is responsible for his healing.”

On July 18, the Diocese of Providence confirmed that Pope Leo XIV had recognized the incident as a verified miracle—the first to ever be officially acknowledged by the Vatican in Rhode Island. This recognition also marks a milestone for Father Valera Parra, bringing him one step closer to sainthood. Under Catholic canon law, two confirmed miracles are typically required for canonization; with this one acknowledged, only one remains.

Reilly, who has worked alongside the Spanish diocese since 2014 on this case, expressed joy at the news. He described the miracle as “a reminder of the power of prayer and the intercession of holy men and women. God is indeed close to us.”

Dr. Sánchez-Esteban has since released a carefully worded statement. While unable to discuss the specific case due to privacy laws, he reflected on the moment’s significance: “As a physician, I have the privilege of witnessing both the fragility and the incredible resilience of life. While I cannot speak about any individual patient due to HIPAA privacy laws, I understand that a recent recognition by the Vatican has brought comfort and meaning to many.” He added, “We are honored to be part of the stories that inspire hope.”

Whether one believes in divine intervention or sees it as an unexplained medical event, the case of Tyquan Hall has now been written into the Catholic Church’s official history as a miracle. Pope Leo XIV’s first, and perhaps not the last.