DUBLIN (AP) — Somewhere in Ireland, a burglar has the heart of a saint.
Officials at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin say they’re distraught and perplexed over the theft of the church’s most precious relic: the preserved heart of St. Laurence O’Toole.
O’Toole was Dublin’s archbishop from 1162 to 1180. His heart has been displayed in the cathedral since the 13th century, stored in a wooden box and secured in an iron cage.
Police say someone cut through the cage Saturday and stole the relic in its heart-shaped container. They’re studying closed-circuit TV footage but have arrested nobody.
The dean of Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday said he feels devastated. He says the relic has no economic value but is priceless to those who visit the cathedral to pray in a chapel dedicated to O’Toole.
