The man arrested for the theft of a pectoral cross bequeathed by the late Pope Benedict XVI to a parish in his native Bavaria is now facing time behind bars.<\/p>\n
According to CNA Deutsch, CNA\u2019s German-language news partner, the Traunstein district court on Monday sentenced a 53-year-old Czech citizen to two years and six months in prison.<\/p>\n
The perpetrator, whom authorities described as a serial thief with a history of crimes across several European countries, left traces at the crime scene that led to his identification and arrest.<\/p>\n
However, local media reported that the cross is still missing, and the verdict may yet be appealed.<\/p>\n
The court heard from the accused\u2019s lawyer that his client had stolen the pectoral cross because he felt it was \u201cworth stealing\u201d and selling on due to its appearance: The cross, measuring approximately 5.9 inches in length, is crafted from gold-plated silver and adorned with a gemstone. <\/p>\n
Despite the judge interrupting the trial twice to give the defendant and his lawyer time to call an associate to whom he allegedly had given the cross \u201cfor safekeeping,\u201d all attempts to contact the associate were unsuccessful \u2014 leaving the cross\u2019 whereabouts still unknown.<\/p>\n
Before the verdict was announced, the defendant personally addressed the court, saying he knew that the list of his previous convictions was so long that he did not appear credible. Nevertheless, he promised that the cross would come back to Traunstein, Bavarian state media reported. <\/p>\n
The value of the cross to the Catholic Church is \u201cnot quantifiable,\u201d the police said at the time of the theft. <\/p>\n
Former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was born in the small Bavarian community of Marktl am Inn. When Joseph was 2 years old, his father moved the family to Traunstein, where he studied at the seminary.<\/p>\n
The late pontiff celebrated his first Mass as a newly ordained priest at St. Oswald\u2019s in 1951. After the renovation in 2020, the cross was exhibited in the now-broken display case.<\/p>\n
This article was originally published on EWTN News English.<\/p>\n