Vatican hypocrisy

[J. J.]

First, I am not Catholic.

Second, can there seriously be any doubt that the Vatican serves as a repository for treasures that are historic in nature and that in doing so, provides a service to historians and researchers of any (or no) faith?

Third, I will disagree that the relics, of which there are not a huge number, were stolen from Muslims.  Some were, like the horses of St. Mark's in Venice, taken in the Fourth Crusade, which was directed against Constantinople.  Others were in fact donated.

[J. J.]

Just as a note, I found precisely one reference to a relic associated with Jesus that could be considered stolen and rests in the Vatican, the Image of Edessa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_of_Edessa

I should add that it was stolen by the Persians first and recoved by the Byzantines.

The Pope is apparently not a fence.

[J. J.]

Just as a note, I found precisely one reference to a relic associated with Jesus that could be considered stolen and rests in the Vatican, the Image of Edessa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_of_Edessa

I should add that it was stolen by the Persians first and recoved by the Byzantines.

The Pope is apparently not a fence.

Did you mean the Pope is not a thief?

"Fence" is a colloquial term for someone who traffics in stolen goods, but not someone who actually steals them.  He arranges for the disposal of stolen goods.

The Pope is not a fence, I would strongly suspect his not pulling too many bank jobs or mugging people either.