A small, circular piece of cloth encased in glass was stolen from the Santo Domingo de Guzman parish in Cardenal Quintero, Merida state, western Venezuela, according to Adrian Garcia, coordinator of the San Carlo Acutis Youth Group, on 12/9.
Parishioners discovered the theft on 9/9, two days after Pope Leo XIV canonized Carlo Acutis. The cloth is classified as a "third-class relic," meaning it was an object touched by the saint.
"So far, the relic remains missing. We maintain hope that this precious artifact will be returned, due to its immense spiritual value," Garcia said.
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Notice of the stolen relic at Santo Domingo de Guzman parish. Photo: X/Diariopanorama |
Notice of the stolen relic at Santo Domingo de Guzman parish. Photo: X/Diariopanorama
Local police are investigating the theft.
Relics are often sent to churches in various countries. The San Carlo Acutis Youth Group requested the cloth be brought to Venezuela for veneration after Acutis' beatification. The Catholic Church has repeatedly condemned the online sale of Saint Acutis relics.
Acutis, an Italian computer prodigy born in London, England, in 1991, was known for his piety from a young age. His mother, Antonia Salzano, said he asked to visit churches in Milan and donated his allowance to the city's poor.
In school, Acutis supported classmates with disabilities, those who were bullied, and children of divorcing parents. He also began charitable work. He taught himself computer programming in elementary school, creating websites for Catholic organizations and a site documenting miracles worldwide. Acutis died of leukemia in 2006.
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Carlo Acutis, the first millennial Catholic saint. Photo: Archdiocese of Malta |
Carlo Acutis, the first millennial Catholic saint. Photo: Archdiocese of Malta
The Church beatified Acutis in 2020 after recognizing his first miracle. The Vatican declared Acutis "intervened from heaven to save the life of a Brazilian boy with a rare disease" in 2013, following a priest's prayer.
In the second miracle, the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints investigated and confirmed Acutis "intervened from heaven" to help Valeria Valverde, a woman involved in a car accident in Florence, Italy, in 2022, recover miraculously.
Hong Hanh (According to AP)
