DUBLIN — The preserved heart of Dublin's patron saint has been
recovered by police, nearly six years after it was stolen from a church in the
city.
The St. Laurence O'Toole relic — which has been venerated for 800
years — was stolen from Christ Church Cathedral in October 2012.
A long-running investigation by detectives in the national police
force led to the recovery of the heart in a park on the outskirts of Dublin. A
police spokesman said the investigation was ongoing and revealed that the relic
was recovered following what he described as an "intelligence-led
operation."
The heart was found undamaged and was set to be returned to the
Anglican archbishop of Dublin in a ceremony last month. While St. Laurence was
elected archbishop of Dublin in 1162 during the pontificate of Alexander III,
at the time of the Reformation in 1539, King Henry VIII switched the cathedral
to the state-sanctioned Anglican Church of Ireland, as Catholicism was outlawed
and persecution was widespread.
After the end of the Penal Laws and Catholic Emancipation in the
19th century, the relic remained in Christ Church, although has been an object
of pious devotion for Catholics.
Anglican Archbishop Michael Jackson of Dublin said the return of
the heart is of huge significance to the people of the Irish capital and brings
them "great joy."
"Our deep thanks and warm appreciation go to all who have
worked tirelessly to make this day of restoration possible," he said,
particularly citing the national police.
A spokesman for Christ Church Cathedral said a proper shrine to
St. Laurence will now be instituted in the church, where people can pray and
honor the memory of the patron saint of Dublin.
St. Laurence played a key role in the Irish church reform
movement of the 12th century. He died in 1180 and was canonized in 1225 by Pope
Honorius III.