Relic of First Millennial Saint was Stolen from a Parish in Venezuela

Articles | September 15, 2025 | by Catholics for Catholics

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The theft happened two days after Pope Leo XIV declared him a saint.

By Catholics for Catholics

CARACAS, Venezuela — A relic of “the first millennial saint,” also known as “God’s influencer” was stolen from a parish in Venezuela, according to The Washington Times.

The staff of Santo Domingo de Guzmán parish in Cardenal Quintero municipality in Mérida state, reported the loss of the relic of Saint Carlo Acutis on Sept. 9, according to Adrian Garcia, coordinator of the San Carlo Acutis Youth Group. The relic is a small, circular piece of cloth. 

The relic was stolen just two days after Pope Leo XIV declared Acutis a saint. The teen computer expert, who used technology to spread the faith, is considered a role model for the next generation of Catholics—the relic was kept in a glass reliquary,

The cloth is a “third-degree relic,” which are frequently objects that have been touched by the saint. “So far, there’s no information; it’s still missing,” García said Friday. “We have faith in God that it will appear. It has great spiritual value.”

Law enforcement is investigating the theft, the parish said. The Catholic Church has previously denounced the online sale of Carlo Acutis’ relics.

Born on May 3, 1991 in London, Acutis belonged to an affluent family who returned to Milan, Italy. Due to his main tech legacy, a multilingual website documenting Eucharistic miracles recognized by the church, he gained the nickname “God’s Influencer,”

Acutis was named “venerable” in 2018. Pope Francis declared him “blessed” in 2020 after the Vatican’s office declared that a child in Brazil who recovered from a pancreatic deformation was “scientifically inexplicable”; the miracle was attributed to Acutis’ intercession.

During an open-air Mass in St. Peter’s Square before 80,000 people, Pope Leo canonized Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006, on Sept. 7.

The relic was in Venezuela because the Venezuelan Youth Group had requested the relic when Acutis was declared blessed.