Saint Carlo Acutis relic vanishes as parish pleads for its return and police probe theft
A third-degree relic of Saint Carlo Acutis was stolen from the Santo Domingo de Guzmán parish in the Cardenal Quintero municipality of Mérida state, Venezuela, according to Adrián García of the San Carlo Acutis Youth Group. The small circular cloth, housed in a glass reliquary, was reported missing on September 9, just two days after Pope Leo XIV canonized Acutis on September 7. Police are investigating. The Church has warned about a surge in online trafficking of Acutis-related items as interest in the young saint grows.
Faith under strain in a failing state
The theft is a stark measure of Venezuela’s day-to-day insecurity. When a parish cannot safeguard a simple reliquary, the state’s most basic obligation to protect its communities is being neglected. Limited government does not mean weak government. It means competent, accountable local security that prioritizes rule of law over political theatrics from Caracas. Centralized power has left far-flung parishes to fend for themselves while petty crime and opportunistic theft flourish.
Relic demand and the online black market
New saints drive legitimate devotional interest and, tragically, criminal exploitation. Third-degree relics are especially vulnerable to resale via shadowy online marketplaces. Platforms should be pressed to remove listings and preserve evidence. Venezuelan authorities, working with church officials, Interpol and tech firms, can trace suspicious sales, enforce property and cultural heritage laws, and return sacred items to their communities without criminalizing ordinary worshippers.
Acutis’ digital witness, global reach
Carlo Acutis, born May 3, 1991 in London and raised in Milan, used his tech talents to document Eucharistic miracles on a multilingual website. He died of leukemia in 2006 and was beatified in 2020. Pope Leo XIV canonized him on September 7 before an estimated 80,000 in St. Peter’s Square. Venezuelan youth requested the relic after his beatification, and now pray for its safe return.
What comes next
With an investigation underway, parish leaders urge anyone with information to contact authorities. Protecting sacred objects does not require a surveillance state. It requires clear priorities, community partnerships, and basic security in places of worship. If the government can restore that foundation, it will signal something rare in today’s Venezuela: a state that serves its citizens instead of itself.