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Relic of Carlo Acutis stolen from parish in Argentina

Relic of Carlo Acutis stolen from parish in Argentina

The relic stolen from St. Dominic Savio Parish. / Credit: St. Dominic Savio Parish ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 1, 2025 / 17:19 pm (CNA). A relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis was stolen from the St. Dominic Savio Parish in the Argentine Archdiocese of Paraná. The pastor is seeking to recover it, emphasizing that it has no material value but does have profound spiritual significance for the community. Father Walter Minigutti, the pastor, told local media that the theft occurred minutes after noon on July 25 and was recorded on security cameras. A couple can be seen entering the church and removing the bolted glass case containing the relic, enthroned in 2021. “This is truly a very sad day for us, and we need our saint [Carlo Acutis] to return to the parish. We are sharing the security camera footage, where this couple can be seen,” Minigutti said in an interview with the Argentine news site El Once . A formal complaint has already been filed with the authorities, and the incident is under police investigation. Camera footage will be analyzed to identify those responsible for the theft. The priest asked for the reliquary to be returned: “I beg whoever took the relics to return them. They have no monetary value, but they do have great spiritual value for our community,” he said. The reliquary contains a first-class relic: a strand of hair and a fingernail belonging to the future saint. In a July 31 interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, the priest said that “there is still no news” and prayed “to the Lord and the blessed that this cherished relic may return.” The figure of Carlo Acutis is very significant to the parish, so much so that a secondary school is being built in his name. The relic was kept in a place specially prepared for its display and veneration, with a glass case containing a reliquary bearing the image of the young blessed dressed in everyday clothes, honoring his characterization as a “saint in jeans and sneakers.” “The place was designed so that the faithful could contemplate him. He is a very contemporary saint, close to young people, and his life conveys a powerful message about faith in the present time,” Minigutti said in his interview with El Once. Acutis, who died at the age of 15, was deeply devoted to the Eucharist: “He went to Mass every day, prayed the rosary, did Eucharistic adoration, and used the internet to evangelize. He’s an example for our youth,” the priest said. “This is devastating for us because it’s something very dear to us, but I have great faith and confidence in the residents of Paraná and Santa Lucía neighborhood, so please give us a hand to recover it,” he appealed. In a few days, on Aug. 12, it will be four years since the relic was enthroned in the church. For that reason, a Mass in honor of Acutis is celebrated on the 12th of every month. The blessed’s feast day is Oct. 12, the day he died. Acutis is scheduled to be canonized on Sept. 7 along with Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. “A blessed is one of the many blessings that God gives to the Church, and having his relics is having part of his life’s story among us,” the parish priest stated, emphasizing that “the sentimental, religious, and spiritual value he holds for the community is incalculable.” Finally, he called for “reflection and solidarity: If anyone knows these people or just finds these relics, please bring them back to the parish.” This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

‘We’re not spiritual tourists’: Young people sign manifesto in Rome for Europe with a soul

‘We’re not spiritual tourists’: Young people sign manifesto in Rome for Europe with a soul

Young people raise their voices from the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere on Aug. 1, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 1, 2025 / 16:49 pm (CNA). “We’re not tourists in spiritual things. We are pilgrims [searching for] meaning. We come with backpacks full of doubts, wounds, songs, and hope. And with a certainty in our hearts: Christ is alive. And he calls us.” Thus begins the “ Manifesto of the Young Christians of Europe,” the heart of the “Rome ’25-Way of St. James ’27-Jerusalem ’33” project , which aims to “restore the soul” of the Old Continent and invites Christians to encounter the Lord through pilgrimage, healing, and evangelization. A young Catholic reads the "Manifesto of the Young Christians of Europe" aloud at St. Mary’s Basilica in Trastevere, Aug. 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA This initiative, which began to take shape two years ago with the support of the Bishops’ Subcommission for Youth and Children of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, as well as the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela and the Church in Jerusalem, invites young Christians across the continent to open up a new pathway to faith and hope in view of the Jubilee of the Redemption , which will be celebrated in 2033. The initiative is also supported by the Holy See and Pope Leo XIV, to whom it was presented after a general audience at the Vatican on June 25. The key moment for the project took place on the morning of Friday, Aug. 1, amid the Jubilee of Youth. Many young people gathered at St. Mary’s Basilica in Trastevere to give voice to a generation that wants to create a new Europe with Christ at its center. “This manifesto is an act of faith and a call to hope. It is the voice of a [generation of] youth who do not want to remain on the sidelines, who don’t have to clamor, ‘We want more [material things],’ we want Christ at the center... The revolution has begun; the Spirit is blowing,” said Fernando Moscardó, who served as one of the youth spokespersons for the project during the presentation in Rome in July. On that occasion, Monsignor Marco Gnavi, parish priest at St. Mary’s Basilica in Trastevere and host of the Aug. 1 event, said he was “surprised by the enthusiasm of young people,” especially in a time of “painful changes.” The document has been published on the project’s official website , and all those “who feel part of it” are encouraged to sign it. In addition, all information, updates, and progress on the initiative will be shared through social media under the handle @J2R2033 (Journey to Redemption 2033). At the Aug. 1 event, attended by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, several young people of various nationalities read the manifesto aloud. Fisichella also dedicated time to praying for peace in the world, especially for Ukraine and the conflict in the Holy Land. Among those present were young people from Palestine and Israel. This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.