Pavia cemetery chapel desecrated and consecrated hosts stolen

The chapel of the Municipal Cemetery in Pavia was desecrated on the morning of Saturday, August 29, when unknown individuals forced entry and broke into the tabernacle. The perpetrators stole the pyx containing consecrated hosts. Some particles were found on the ground and were carefully collected to be moved to the Cathedral.

Bishop Corrado Sanguineti expressed “deep pain and consternation,” noting that the nature of the theft suggests a deliberate act of profanation and the intentional theft of the Eucharist. Following a site inspection with local officials and the cemetery chaplain, the Bishop reported the incident to the Carabinieri.

As a temporary measure, the Bishop has ordered that the Eucharist no longer be stored in the cemetery chapel. A Mass of Reparation will be held at the chapel on Friday, September 4, at 4:00 PM, presided over by Monsignor Sanguineti. The diocese has also called upon all parishes to hold votive Masses in response to the event.