A deep dive into the (slightly creepy) world of Catholic relics

Joining Zac and Ashley on this episode of “Jesuitical” recorded in Douglaston, N.Y., is Msgr. Robert Sarno, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn and a former official of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. With 38 years of experience in overseeing the process of canonization and beatification of saints, Monsignor Sarno offers a deep dive into the world of Catholic relics, including their history, hierarchy and controversy.

Zac, Ashley and Monsignor Sarno discuss:

- How the devotion to relics began in the early Catholic Church and evolved over time

- The distinction between first-class, second-class and third-class relics

- Contemporary issues with the misuse and trafficking of relics

Links for further reading:

Why every Catholic church altar has a relic inside it

How are saints made in the Catholic Church? Inside the long, complicated and expensive process

St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull went on tour. Here’s what the medieval saint would have said about its veneration

I’ve always loved relics. After my cancer diagnosis, they mean even more to me.

I wear a third-degree relic every day. It reminds me that all things are possible through God.

What to make of holy relics

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