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March 4th, 2012
11:18 AM ET
900-year-old saint's heart vanishes from cathedralBy Richard Allen Greene and Peter Taggart, CNN Police in Ireland are studying security camera footage from a cathedral in Dublin after the preserved heart of the city's patron saint was stolen over the weekend, they said Monday. The 900-year-old heart of St. Laurence O'Toole was taken from the iron cage where it is normally kept in Christ Church Cathedral, police and the Cathedral said. The bars were wrenched open, allowing access to the heart-shaped wooden box that held the relic bolted to a wall in Saint Lauds Chapel, Irish police said. Security cameras cover the cathedral's welcome desk, but not the interior of the chapel or the cathedral, police said. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories Cathedral staff called the disappearance of the relic "truly awful and strange" and said they were "shocked and saddened."  An empty cage once held the heart of 900-year-old saint. Adding to the mystery, there was no sign of a break-in, police told CNN. Nothing was taken from the chapel other than the heart, although Irish media said gold candesticks and other valuables were there. Cathedral staff called the disappearance of the relic "truly awful and strange" and said they were "shocked and saddened." St. Laurence O'Toole, an archbishop of Dublin in the 12th century, was born in 1128, lived until 1180, and was made a saint in 1225, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. Christ Church is a Protestant Church of Ireland cathedral. Catholics often preserve body parts from saints, believing they should be venerated. When Pope John Paul II was declared "blessed" - a step below sainthood - last year, a vial of his blood was displayed as a relic.
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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TRUE! –nervous –very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?
For the love of God, Montressor!!
I did it......
it went real well with some fauva beans and a fine chianti
sluuuuurp
what would a 900 year old heart look like? a bit petrified I imagine....yes keeping body parts is a bit of an old tradition...oh thats right its the catholic church...hard to let go of traditions hey guys? they can have mine when I'm done with it. I by the way am a self declared Saint. so all will be well in holydom.
Will this lead to a change of heart?
I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAD A HEART THAT WASN'T BLACK!!!!!
it's official the catholic religion is now heartless
maybe st o'toole was sooooo ashamed of the child abuse and cover up that his spirit came back reclaim the relic
I'm not sure if God's really on board with this whole saint thing. Sounds a little man-made to me. What about angels, purgatory or mortal and venial sins. Not even the American government is so complicated. If we all lived by one simple comandment we could have our paridise here on earth: The ethic of reciprocity which spans all religion. Do unto others as you would have others do into you.
It's all man-made.
Prayer changes things .
what other living things?...Insects, animals, plants?
Really? It has never been proven to do anything.
yeah and all the labor, property, se xual and other abuses committed by the churches over the CENTURIES.......
ahhhh your not listnning anyway..........
what other living things?...Insects, animals, plants?
Yes. Insects pray. What? You don't believe me? Prove me wrong...
Woulkd it also be bad for a wombat? I'd hate to think of a wombat ending up in a poor location after leaving this world.
Religion is a narcotic and nothing more.
What happens if it shows up on Craig's List? How much would it sell for? What would a pawn shop give for it? Hard to say. Easier to sell a vase from the Ming Dynasty. Those Stuckey's stores always had supposed Indian stuff (Tom-Toms, hatchets, war bonnet, peace pipe) .. big on Amish people waiting for a bus (or a stage coach). Fill up, get a cup of coffee, "go" .. walk the dog, and load up on Stuckey junk
When they find who did it, he will proclaim,
"dissemble no more! I admit the deed! - tear up the planks! - here, here! - it is the beating of his hideous heart!"
— Edgar Allen Poe
Joan Rivers stole his heart!
I'm sorry...I was visiting the area, didn't know any of the local eateries, hadn't eaten in what felt like a fortnight...I was hungry.
What? What??
BTW, I think humans (at least a signficant number of them) are far too obsessed with dead bodies, and this is just another example. Keeping body parts separate? I can just imagine a future beloved pope or saint, out in someone's front yard, up on blocks, with a few pieces missing....
Don't go breaking my heart.
Strange practices, but at least they're not conducted in a mysterious temple open only to committed members.
Sounds like someone needs a hug...and a future posthumous baptisim. 😉
The Catholic Church has not heart. This is evident by their stand on women's health care.
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me, Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me, Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me, Must have been the hand of the lord.
While I was praying, somebody touched me, While I was praying, somebody touched me, While I was praying, somebody touched me, Must have been the hand of the lord.
Well .. maybe it was the hand to St. Laurence O'Toole .. (maybe??) or .. the IRS (they might have touched you too).. OR maybe it was .. the White Buffalo .. or Edgar Casey .. or Nostradamus .. OR .. Darth Vader (there are all kinds of possibilities) ... but you know .. this ain't Kansas no more .. Kansas blows around a lot...
http://www.metrolyrics.com/somebody-touched-me-lyrics-bob-dylan.html#ixzz1oBiAYocm
How sick!
That it was stolen or that the church had it in the first place.
Somebody unchained the heart and set it free
That or rats ate it.
Does the magic stop? Do prayers to the saint go unheard? Does he stop helping people find their misplaced car keys? What happens when you do not have body parts any more? Think about this: if one guy lights a candle to have green lamp shades in the library and another lights a candle to have blue lamp shades in the library which one gets his wish? The first? The last? The biggest donor? (probably) .. or the librarian? It is not easy being a saint (you know) . people pray for all kinds of stuff... cars, trucks, tools, vacations, radios, televisions ... or just that the stadium will be filled so it will be on TV. Not easy deciding what wish to grant. And there are lots of wishes. (I have been praying to win the Mega Lottery - just once ) but so far .. no.