CV NEWS FEED // The bishop of Assisi is asking authorities to investigate the illegal sale of supposed relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis, which were found last month at an online auction, according to the Associated Press.
Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of the Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino issued the complaint to the Perugia Public Prosecutor’s Office when he was notified of its sale online, according to Rome Reports.
“I am responsible, and I try to do things and ensure they are done in an absolutely regular manner,” Bishop Sorrentino said, according to Rome Reports. “And yesterday I even came across a relic of our Saint, authenticated by the postulator. Therefore, it must be one of those that somehow came from here, from the body of the Blessed, and I find it at an auction. Such a thing cannot be tolerated.”
The proclaimed first-class relic of Acutis’ hair, by an anonymous seller, was selling for up to 2,000 euros before the bishop urged local authorities to confiscate the item, according to the Associated Press.
The canon law of the Catholic Church, Can. 1190, strictly prohibits the sale of first and second-class relics. The Code of Canon Law also states that these items can only be freely given by their owners, and in some cases, needs the direct approval of the Vatican.
The Associated Press reports that Bishop Sorrento also said that if the relic that was sold was fake, the sale would be a “great offense to religious belief.”
The body of Bl. Carlo Acutis, is held in a glass tomb in the sanctuary of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, Italy. Bl. Acutis will be canonized April 27 during the Jubilee of Teenagers.
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