In a file photo, a woman venerates a relic of St. Jacinta Marto prior to a vigil Mass Oct. 12, 2017, celebrated in honor of Our Lady of Fatima at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in New York City. A similar relic was stolen in Italy on Wednesday.
MILAN - The relics of two Fatima child saints have been stolen from a church in Verona while they were traveling on a pilgrimage tour in Italy.
Father Andrea Ronconi said Thursday that small pieces of clothing belonging to the Portuguese shepherd children made saints in 2017 were stolen Wednesday. Police were looking for two suspects.
Ronconi, priest at the Jesus Christ Divine Worker parish, said he was “heartbroken and mortified” by the theft, which also included copies of a crown and rosary of the Fatima Virgin Mary statue.
Francisco and Jacinta Marto, who reported visions of the Virgin Mary more than 100 years ago, were declared saints on May 13, 2017. The Portuguese town of Fatima has become one of the world’s most important Catholic shrines.
CRUX