Relics treated with such disregard

I spent time with a Roman Catholic order in the 1970s, and was amazed even then to see the utter disregard shown by some to relics of saints that once had been respected and venerated ("Saints alive!" Jan. 14, City Weekly). In one instance, an altar stone containing relics was removed from a renovated church interior and placed on a shelf in a storage room, along with other unused altar items and cans of brass cleaner. It stayed there for years gathering dust.

Also, J.M. Berger's fine article on relics stated that they are used by Catholics, Buddhists, and some Muslims, but made no mention of their place in Orthodox Christian Churches. Orthodox Christians continue to venerate relics with fervor and devotion, and regard them as tangible links to spiritual realities. Roman Catholics, many of whom seem to be embarrassed by a traditional sense of the sacred, once shared this tradition.

Hans Jaegerstatter

Cambridge