Relic of the Catholic Church's first millennial saint stolen from Venezuelan parish

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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A relic of Carlo Acutis, who was declared the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint last week, was stolen from a parish in western Venezuela, the coordinator of a youth group devoted to the man known as “God’s Influencer” confirmed Friday.

The disappearance of the relic - a small, circular piece of cloth - was reported on Sept. 9 by staff at the Santo Domingo de Guzmán parish in Cardenal Quintero municipality in Mérida state, said Adrián García, coordinator of the San Carlo Acutis Youth Group.

“So far, there’s no information; it’s still missing,” García said Friday. “We have faith in God that it will appear. It has great spiritual value.”

The relic, which was housed in a glass reliquary, disappeared just two days after Pope Leo XIV declared Acutis a saint. The 15-year-old computer expert, who used technology to spread the faith, is considered a role model for the next generation of Catholics.

The cloth is a “third-degree relic,” which are usually objects that have been touched by the saint.

Police are investigating its disappearance, the parish said.

The Catholic Church has previously denounced the online sale of Carlo Acutis' relics.

Acutis was named “venerable” in 2018. He was then declared “blessed” in 2020 after the Vatican’s saint-making office declared that a child in Brazil who recovered from a pancreatic deformation was “scientifically inexplicable” and a miracle attributed to Acutis’ intercession.

Leo canonized Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006, on Sept. 7 during an open-air Mass in St. Peter’s Square before an estimated 80,000 people.

Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London to a wealthy family who moved back to Milan, Italy. He earned the nickname “God’s Influencer,” thanks to his main tech legacy: a multilingual website documenting so-called Eucharistic miracles recognized by the church.

It is common for relics to be sent to churches in various countries. In this case, the Venezuelan youth group had requested the relic when Acutis was declared blessed, a step prior to sainthood.