On July 10, an intruder broke the reliquary and stole a relic of St. Mary Magdalene from the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, USA. The theft was discovered by Cathedral staff the following morning, when they found the reliquary vandalized and the relic stolen.

Father Martin Diaz, rector of the cathedral, says that the incident was not an act of vandalism but of theft.

“It is likely that he picked up the reliquary, but once he got it off the shelf could not hold it, as it is very heavy. Once it was broken open, he took the one thing that appeared sellable.”

The relic was in the possession of the cathedral for over a hundred years and was displayed every year on Easter Sunday and on the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene, July 22.

“This is a very disturbing loss, and we want to make every effort to find and restore this treasure for the people in Utah.”

Father Diaz added that the cathedral, working together with the police, is determined to retrieve the relic and has offered a $1.000 reward for the return of the relic or any clue that would lead to its recovery.

Source: UCAnews