Archbishop Renato Boccardo of the diocese of Spoleto-Norcia, in central Italy, urged thieves to return the relic that is the drop of the blood of Saint John Paul II. September 23, 2020.
The relic is housed in a monstrance, kept and venerated in the chapel of the Crucifixion, in the Basilica of Spoleto. A statement from the local Archbishop said that the church supervisor discovered the burglary when closing the church door. The Archdiocese immediately alerted the local police and officers who are conducting an investigation, reviewing the images captured on the video surveillance camera.
Archbishop Boccardo expressed grief and astonishment upon hearing this news and condemned the sacrilegious act that wounded the sensitivity and devotion of so many people. He sent a video message calling on the perpetrators to return the relic, and hoped the theft was not for profit.
The relic, which is the blood drops of Saint John Paul II, contained in a small tube, and kept in a gilded diadem, was owned by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, former secretary of the late Pope, and then Archbishop. Diocese of Cracovia, donated to the Cathedral of Spoleto. This relic, is expected to be transferred to the new church of Saint Nicholas, in Spoleto dedicated to Saint John Paul II Pope and will be consecrated on October 22 here.
Saint Pope died in April 2005, so far it has only been 15 years. Traditionally, the grave can only be opened 30 years after the saint's death.
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