Teaching on relics and the remains of the saints

The origin of the veneration of relics

One of the most striking reasons for venerating relics is the very way Christ’s body was treated after his death. Instead of leaving Jesus’ body on the cross to be taken down by the Romans and disposed of (as was the custom), Joseph of Arimathea took a bold risk and asked Pilate for the body of Christ (cf. Mk 15:43; Jn 19:38).

This prominent man then gave his own newly hewn tomb as the place of Christ’s rest (cf. Mt 27:60). Nicodemus came and brought more than a hundred pounds of spices to wrap in the burial cloth (cf. Jn 19:39) – knowing that such a quantity of spices was used only for the most illustrious of the dead. After the burial, the women came devoutly and reverently to the tomb (cf. Mt 28:1), wishing to anoint Christ’s body with costly ointments even though the tomb was already sealed (cf. Mk 16:1; Lk 24:1). These acts of reverence meant more than the customary courtesy shown to the remains of the dead; they were rendered with a particular respect for the body of the holiest of men – in this case, the holiest man who ever lived, for Jesus Christ was God incarnate.

Relics in early Christianity

The veneration of the remains of the saints is explicitly attested as early as the Martyrium Polycarpi (The Martyrdom of St Polycarp), written by the Smyrnaeans in the year of our Lord 156. In it the Christians describe the events of his burning at the stake thus: „We took up his bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together, as we are able, and to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom with joy and gladness.“ This saint was declared a saint (entered into the list of the saints) without a canonization – simply because miracles occurred at his tomb immediately after his martyrdom.

The anti-Catholic historian Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack mentions the veneration of the holy remains in the early Church in his book as follows: „…The teachers of the Church, too, trust the relics with respect. All of them, even the Cappadocians, admit their veneration. The numerous miracles wrought by bones and relics evidently confirm their veneration. The Church must therefore not give up the practice of venerating relics, even though a violent attack was made upon it by a few cultivated pagans and also by the Manichaeans.“ (Harnack, History of Dogma, tr., IV, 313).

In the fourth century the great biblical scholar St Jerome declares: „We do not worship, we do not adore, nor do we out of fear bow before creatures rather than before the Creator himself; but we venerate the remains of the martyrs in the order of the adoration of him to whom these martyrs belong“ (Ad Riparium, i, PL, XXII, 907).

Relics in Sacred Scripture

Let us bear in mind what the Church teaches about relics. It does not say that there is any magical power in them. There is nothing magical in the relic itself – neither in a bone of the Apostle Peter nor in the water from Lourdes, as though it possessed some healing capacity of its own. The Church says only that relics may be the occasion of God’s miracles, and in this too the Church follows Sacred Scripture.

The use of the bones of the prophet Elisha restored a dead man to life: „So Elisha died and was buried. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. As a man was being buried, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.“ (2 Kings 13:20–21). This is a clear biblical example of a miracle of God through contact with the remains of a saint.

It was the same in the case of the woman healed of a haemorrhage by touching the hem of Christ’s cloak, and of the sick who were healed when Peter’s shadow fell upon them (cf. Mt 9:20–22; Acts 5:12–16). „And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them“ (Acts 19:11–12).

Regulations for the handling of relics

The handling of relics is governed by Church regulations such as the Code of Canon Law; the General Instruction of the Roman Missal; the Roman Pontifical and the Ceremonial of Bishops; and also the Instruction of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The Code of Canon Law states: „It is absolutely forbidden to sell sacred relics. Relics of great significance and other relics honoured with great reverence by the people cannot be validly alienated in any manner or transferred permanently without the permission of the Apostolic See“ (CIC, can. 1190 § 1–2). „The ancient tradition of keeping the relics of martyrs and other saints under a fixed altar is to be preserved according to the norms given in the liturgical books“ (CIC, can. 1237 § 2).

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states the following in no. 302: „The practice of placing relics of Saints, even those not Martyrs, under the altar to be dedicated is fittingly retained. Care should be taken, however, to ensure the authenticity of such relics.“

This position is summarized and explained in still greater detail in the Roman Pontifical, in the section on the dedication of a church and an altar, and likewise in the Ceremonial of Bishops.

In no. 866 of the latter book the basic norms for relics are indicated as follows: „If the tradition of the Roman liturgy of placing the remains of martyrs or other saints under an altar is preserved, the following principles are to be observed: a) The remains to be placed in the altar must be of such a size that they are clearly recognizable as parts of a human body. It is not permissible to place only very small remains of one or more saints. b) It must be verified with the greatest possible care that the remains to be placed in the altar are genuine. It is better to dedicate an altar without remains than to place in it remains whose authenticity has not been verified. c) The reliquary is not to be placed on the altar table or above the altar, but, according to the form of the altar, is to be placed beneath the altar table.“ The altar table is reserved exclusively for the celebration of the Eucharist.

The Ceremonial of Bishops describes the rite of the placing of relics in no. 900 as well: „If the remains of martyrs or other saints are to be placed in the altar, the bishop comes to the altar. A deacon or a priest brings the remains to the bishop, who places them in the opening prepared for them. Meanwhile the antiphon Beneath the altar of God or The bodies of the saints lie in peace is sung with Psalm 14, or some other suitable chant.“

Relics have always been given extraordinary respect and attention in the Church, because the body of the Blessed and the Saints, destined for resurrection, was on earth a living temple of the Holy Spirit and an instrument of their holiness, and the Church has raised them to the honour of the altar by beatification and canonization.

The relics of the Blessed and the Saints should not be exposed for the public veneration of the faithful without the appropriate confirmation of the ecclesiastical authority guaranteeing their authenticity.

The Instruction of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of 16 December 2017, in the chapter Relics in the Church – Authenticity and Preservation, says: „According to tradition, the relics of the body of the Blessed and the Saints, or parts thereof, are considered significant. To these relics the diocesan bishops or their equivalents in law, and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, devote particular care and supervision, so as to ensure their preservation and veneration and to prevent their misuse.

They must therefore be kept in suitable sealed and closed precious containers – reliquaries – and placed in locations that guarantee their safety, respect their sacred character and foster their veneration. In every case they should be kept and treated in a reverent manner, so that every form of desecration or trading is avoided.

The same care and veneration are to be given to the bodily remains (exuviae) of the Servants of God whose processes of beatification and canonization are under way. As long as these have not been raised to the honour of the altar by the rite of beatification and canonization, their remains may not be exposed for public veneration and may not enjoy those privileges which are reserved exclusively to the bodies of those who have been beatified and canonized.“

The instruction is addressed in law to diocesan bishops and their equivalents, as well as to all who take part in the procedure concerning the veneration of the relics of the Blessed and the Saints, in order to facilitate their transfer, which in so extraordinary a matter is desirable. The instruction sets out the canonical procedure to be observed in verifying the authenticity of relics and bodily remains, so as to be in keeping with the aim of ensuring their preservation and fostering their veneration through specific, workable measures: canonical examination (recognitio), the taking of fragments and the preparation of relics for distribution, the transfer of a reliquary and the further handing on of relics. It also lays down how the consent of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints is to be obtained, while observing the measures and procedures for the pilgrimage of relics.

Categories of relics by importance

First-class relics (so-called primary relics) fall into two categories: the physical remains of the body of a saint, and those connected with events in the life of the Lord Jesus (for example all the instruments of his passion, of his birth…).

Second-class relics (so-called secondary relics) are pieces of clothing and objects that were directly used or made by a saint.

The third class of relics (so-called tertiary relics) is generally a blessed object (for example a devotional picture, a cross, a rosary, a medal or a ring) that has come into direct contact with a first-class relic by touching the body of the saint. The term „memento relic“ is used for a souvenir, a keepsake from a sacred or pilgrimage site.

Descriptions of a relic at the time of its designation: relics for public veneration are most often prepared, on the authority of bishops and religious superiors, by postulators, who place them in a gilded, silver or bronze container called a theca. Every such relic must have its own document of authenticity. The wax seal on the reliquary must be intact and identical with the seal on the certificate of the relic’s authenticity. The description of the relic is in Latin. It is found with the relic itself and on its certificate.