Catania holds ceremony for 900th anniversary of Saint Agatha's relics

In Catania, Sicily, Catholic leaders held a religious ceremony to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the return of Saint Agatha's relics to the city. During the event, Archbishop Luigi Renna was filmed kissing the saint's nearly 2,000-year-old skull before it was placed inside a bust.

The bust was subsequently closed and crowned by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, who presided over the mass. The ceremony honors the historical tradition that Agatha's remains were taken to Constantinople by the Byzantines in the 11th century and returned to Sicily on August 17, 1126.

Saint Agatha was a Christian martyr who died around 251 AD during the persecutions under the Roman Emperor Decius. According to Catholic tradition, she was tortured for refusing to renounce her faith and is considered the patron saint of Catania.