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Relic of Bl. John Paul II stolen, recovered in Italy

CWN - August 29, 2012

Italian police report that a relic of Blessed John Paul II was stolen on Tuesday, August 28, but recovered later in the day.

A priest carrying a vial of blood from the late Pontiff, which was to be displayed in a sanctuary north of Rome, reported that the backpack containing the reliquary had been taken while he was aboard a train. Police found the backpack, with the vial intact, near a station on the railroad line.

Police were unsure whether thieves had deliberately stolen the relic, and sought to hide it until they could return and retrieve it, or had cast aside the backpack thinking that it contained nothing of monetary value.

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