Relic of first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, stolen in Venezuela

A relic of the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint has been stolen from a parish in Venezuela on Tuesday, September 9.

The relic, a small, circular piece of cloth, belonging to Carlo Acutis, who was declared the first millennial saint of the Catholic Church, was reported missing by staff at Santo Domingo de Guzman parish in Cardenal Quintero municipality in Merida state.

The coordinator of the San Carlo Acutis Youth Group, devoted to the late saint often referred to as “God’s Influencer", said, “There’s no information and the relic is still missing.”

Adrian Garcia further added, “We have faith in God that it will appear as it has a great spiritual value.”

The relic went missing just two days after Pope Leo XIV declared Carlo a saint for his use of technology to spread the faith.

According to NBC News, the stolen piece was a third-degree relic and the police are investigating the theft.

For context, third-degree relics are the objects that have been touched by the saint.

The late Millennial Saint died of leukemia on September 7, 2006, during an open air mass in St. Peter’s Square in front of an audience of around 80,000 people.