[MSN] Friar's heart relic stolen, again, in Argentina

[MSN]

Friar's heart relic stolen, again, in Argentina
Mon Mar 3, 2008 8:31pm IST
By Hilary Burke

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters Life!) - An Argentine friar's preserved heart survived one theft attempt in the last 125 years, but it may not rebound from a second, more recent robbery.

A homeless man swiped the heart of 19th century Franciscan friar Mamerto Esquiu in late January. Investigators still don't know exactly what happened, or where the heart may be hidden.

Esquiu was a Roman Catholic priest known for eloquently defending Argentina's constitution, which was passed in 1853 after more than 30 years of civil strife. He served as bishop in the two years preceding his death.

He is revered in the northwestern province of Catamarca, where he spent his youth studying theology and philosophy at the capital city's San Francisco convent.

It was there that his heart was displayed as a religious relic, starting in 1883.

If Esquiu's heart were never found, local historian Armando Raul Bazan said, "It would be an irreparable loss for Catamarca's historical memory and religious feeling. It would be as if Leonardo da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper were stolen and never recovered."

The relic was first taken some 18 years ago by an unruly boy who grabbed it and tossed it onto the convent's roof, Bazan said.

The latest thief is a 20-something beggar accused of breaking a glass case to get at the organ. The man lied about his name and origins when he was arrested, and investigators still aren't sure who he is.

The man, who is in jail on robbery charges, testified at one point that he had thrown the heart into a trash can on the streets of the provincial capital.

But federal prosecutor Santos Reynoso said although officials are searching for the relic at a waste treatment plant, he doubts the man told the truth.

"We think he has the heart hidden someplace. But he's very closed, he won't tell us why he took it or, most importantly, where he has it," said Reynoso, who is leading the investigation into the case.

"I hope at some point this young man is illuminated by a special angel and tells us the truth of what happened," Reynoso added. "Friar Mamerto Esquiu was the closest thing to a saint that Argentina has produced, and he was a great defender of the Argentine people."

Local lore says Esquiu's body had decomposed for a few days before an autopsy was done. His heart was the only organ that showed no sign of deterioration.

Esquiu was a candidate for beatification, but Bazan said Italian doctors disqualified Argentine medical reports showing he had miraculously restored someone's eyesight.

"In the past, the Catholic people were the ones to consecrate saints. If that were still the case, Esquiu would've already been canonized," Bazan said.

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