Italian police find John Paul II relic discarded by thieves
Religious relic stained with pope's blood recovered by police in central province of Abruzzo after thieves throw it away beleiving it worthless
Italian police have recovered part of a religious relic stained with Pope John Paul II’s blood that was thrown away by thieves thinking it worthless, the Italian press reported on Saturday.
The relic was snatched a week ago along with a cross from a small church in Italy’s central region of Abruzzo, sparking a region-wide search with police and sniffer dogs.
The three robbers, unaware that the small piece of framed cloth was valuable, threw it away in parts but could not remember where.
The relic consisted of a metal frame around a piece of blood-stained cloth, believed to be part of the robe the Polish pontiff was wearing when he was shot in an assassination attempt in St Peter’s Square in 1981.
The metal frame was recovered shortly after the robbery and on Saturday the Italian press said the golden-threaded cloth, albeit damaged, was found in a garage.
The loot was snatched from the San Pietro della Ienca church in the mountainous region in central Italy where the late pope loved to go on skiing holidays.