In this file photo taken on April 23 1997, Pope John Paul II waves to faithful as he crosses St. Peter's square at the Vatican. (Andrew Medichini/AP Photo)
by PHOEBE NATANSON:
Dozens of police with sniffer dogs searched the area around the church
of San Pietro della Ienca in the central mountainous Abbruzzo region of
Italy for a stolen relic containing a fragment of cloth stained with the
blood of the late Pope John Paul II.
The relic is believed to have been stolen Saturday night from the small stone church together with a small simple cross, according to police.
Pasquale Corriere, president of the Cultural Center that takes care of the sanctuary, said he believed this was a "commissioned theft." He was alerted to the theft by his daughter, who saw the rails protecting the church sawed on Sunday morning and noticed that the relic was no longer in its place.
"Whoever broke in came for the relic, that is clear, all the rest was left untouched including the offering box," Corriere said.
The small church is in the Gran Sasso mountains near the city of l'Aquila was dear to Pope John Paul II, who visited the area more than 100 times during his papacy, where he would walk and meditate and was even known to have skied down the slopes as a young pope. The area has become a place of pilgrimage for people in search ofpeace or wishing to pray ...Continue reading...
The relic is believed to have been stolen Saturday night from the small stone church together with a small simple cross, according to police.
Pasquale Corriere, president of the Cultural Center that takes care of the sanctuary, said he believed this was a "commissioned theft." He was alerted to the theft by his daughter, who saw the rails protecting the church sawed on Sunday morning and noticed that the relic was no longer in its place.
"Whoever broke in came for the relic, that is clear, all the rest was left untouched including the offering box," Corriere said.
The small church is in the Gran Sasso mountains near the city of l'Aquila was dear to Pope John Paul II, who visited the area more than 100 times during his papacy, where he would walk and meditate and was even known to have skied down the slopes as a young pope. The area has become a place of pilgrimage for people in search of
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