Bones Transferred in 1942
In 1942, the Administrator of St. Peter's, Monsignor Ludwig Kaas, found remains in a second tomb in the monument. Being concerned that these presumed relics of a saint would not be accorded the respect they deserved, and having little understanding of correct archeological procedures, he secretly ordered these remains stored elsewhere for safe-keeping.
After Kaas's death, Professor Margherita Guarducci discovered these relics by chance. She informed Pope Paul VI of her belief that these remains were those of St. Peter. Bone testing revealed that the remains belonged to a man in his sixties. On June 26, 1968, Pope Paul VI announced that the relics of St. Peter had been discovered.
Read more about this topic: Saint Peter's Tomb
Famous quotes containing the words bones and/or transferred:
“The eyes, opening and shutting like keyholes
and never forgetting, recording by thousands,
the skull with its brains like eels
the tablet of the world
the bones and their joints
that build and break for any trick....”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“Modern thought has transferred the spectral character of Death to the notion of time itself. Time has become Death triumphant over all.”
—John Berger (b. 1926)