The stolen reliquary. ©Police
Source: NL Times
by Maxime Zech
A silver reliquary belonging to the Greek orthodox church in Rotterdam was stolen on Saturday afternoon. According to the church, the box contained pieces of the very cross where Jesus Christ was crucified 2000 years ago, along with other items, the Algemeen Dagblad reports.
Priest Christos Sidiropoulos had the box in a bag on the back seat of his car, which was parked at the church on the Westzeedijk in Rotterdam on Saturday afternoon. Someone broke a window and stole the items on the back seat.
Several items were found in the area around the church, but the silver reliquary is still missing. The item is of incalculable worth to the church. “You cannot put a price on it”, says priest Christos Sidiropoulos. Besides the pieces of the wooden crucifix, there is also an image of a holy man who was called upon to heal his eye in his youth, the priest tells the AD.
The pieces of the crucifix served an important role in the rituals at the church. In Greek orthodox religion, Christ is also the son of God, who martyred himself, paying for the sins of the believers.
Yesterday, the police made a public announcement about the box. A spokesperson for the police says that the box may have been put up for sale. The box is around 45 centimeters long, 25 wide and 7.5 deep.