Thieves stole a relic of the late Pope John Paul II from a church in the Italian town of Spoleto on Wednesday. According to the Vatican news site, it is a vial containing a few drops of blood from the Pope, who died in 2005.
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“I hope it is a superficial act that was not intended to offend the sensitivities of the faithful,” said Archbishop Renato Boccardo of Spoleto. “I also hope this rash act was not done to make money.”
It is not the first time that the bottle in question has disappeared. Also in 2014 thieves ran off with the relic. At the time, the bottle was stolen from a church east of Rome, after which the police found it shortly afterwards.
Relics are often physical remains or personal objects of saints, which are revered by Catholics. Memorabilia of Pope John Paul II is particularly popular with criminals: in 2016 a piece of cloth with a drop of blood of the saint from Cologne Cathedral was obscured.
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