Sep

26

John Paul II Relics: Not for Sale

September 26, 2007 |

Interview With Postulator of Cause

News that relics of Pope John Paul II are for sale through the Internet is entirely false, says Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the postulator of the Pontiff’s cause of beatification.

The relics have been made available to the public for free, but the selling of religious objects is a sacrilegious act, the priest told ZENIT in this interview.

Monsignor Oder began by saying: I would like to clarify that the distribution of objects or elements from objects belonging to candidates of the altar, to saints or blessed, is an ancient practice in the Church, and is something that accompanies every process of beatification together with the spreading of the knowledge of the spirituality and the life of the candidate to the altar.

Holy cards are distributed, explaining how to pray for an intention and to ask for their intercession. And the same holds true for the process of the Servant of God John Paul II. These holy cards contain prayers. And pieces of his clerical clothing are distributed by the office of postulation; but we are speaking of an entirely free distribution.

Q: Why is the sale of relics considered sacrilegious?

Monsignor Oder: It is absolutely a sacrilege; it is something which goes against the tradition of the Church, and against logic, recalling what Jesus said: “What you have freely received, you must also freely give.” The sale of relics therefore would be offensive to God, to the saint or blessed, to the candidate to the altar.

Q: What is a relic?

Monsignor Oder: Relics are part of the logic of the Incarnation, of concrete history. They are a sign of the presence of a saint in history.

I like the expression used by Monsignor Marco Frisina, director of the Liturgical Office of the Vicariate of Rome, in an article we published in our bulletin Totus Tuus, which follows the process of beatification, and in which we have clarified the meaning of relics: When we touch the body of a saint we touch the temple of the Holy Spirit, when we touch an object that belonged to a saint we touch a monument of the presence of grace and God’s mercy in the life of that person.

This is how we must view objects called relics, the memories, the things that remain of the life of the saint. They are the realities that hearken back to the work of grace in the life of the saint.

Q: [So you can give] a clear denial of the report on the sale of objects or fragments of objects that belonged to John Paul II?

Monsignor Oder: I am troubled by this and do not understand the reason for this report. A false report. I repeat: The sale of relics would be a sacrilege.

We have been distributing holy cards containing pieces of the vestments of the Holy Father John Paul II for some time now. People from all over the world have asked for hundreds of these holy cards.

It is an activity that accompanies the process [of beatification] and expresses the great worldwide devotion to John Paul II — a great renown for holiness that accompanies this process.

Courtesy Zenit.org

Share This


Comments

2 Comments so far

  1. marie on May 10, 2008 8:07 pm

    I am suffering from cancer and would like a relic of Pope John Paul II and prayer card. please contact by emailthank you

  2. Br. Michael Anthony on May 10, 2008 10:37 pm

    People who want to receive a relic “ex indumentis” — from the clothing — or a holy card of Pope John Paul II, may do so by writing to the Vicariate of Rome.

    The Vicariate of Rome is accepting requests via mail, fax or e-mail for the religious items. The petition should be sent to “Holy Cards and Relics Service,” and should indicate a shipping address.

    The holy cards contain the prayer to obtain graces through the intercession of the Servant of God John Paul II and can be requested in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish and Portuguese.

    Though the vicariate is not charging for the holy card, donations are accepted to cover the printing and mailing expenses.

    For more information, visit the official multilingual Web site of the postulation of the cause of beatification and canonization.

    Send requests to:
    Vicariate of Rome — 3rd Floor
    “Totus Tuus”
    Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, 6/A
    Rome, Italy 00184

    Tel: 39 06 69893723
    Fax: 39 06 69886240

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Speak your mind