Relics From The Actual Birth Of Jesus
A Chicago church will display what it believes are relics from Jesus’ birth.
The fragments, released by the Vatican in 1972, were a gift to the Holy Family Church from the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, also in Chicago. Displaying them now has particular significance because of their association with Christmas, which marks the birth of Jesus.
The Rev. Jeremiah J. Boland, administrator of the church, said on Friday that he is “not that interested” in carbon testing the items to see if they are from the beginning of the Christian Era.
“The Vatican has its own process to determine the authenticity of things,” Boland said. “I’m more concerned with it as an object of faith.”
The manger relic has “more authenticity” since it was brought from the Holy Land to the Vatican in the 5th century, Boland said.
“One could argue how real the relics of Mary or Joseph are, but there were all sorts of objects over the centuries that have been venerated and are based on faith rather than on scientific explanation,” he said.
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