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Vial of Pope John Paul II's blood stolen
00:38 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

A bloody swatch of John Paul II's clothing is missing after a theft at an Italian church

Police will attempt to track the thieves across fresh mountain snow

The late pontiff's secretary gave the swatch to the church after John Paul's 2005 death

Rome CNN  — 

Missing: One small, round, golden container. Contents: The blood of the late, soon-to-be-canonized Pope John Paul II. If found, please notify Italian police and the church of San Pietro della Ienca.

Officers from the Carabinieri, Italy’s military police, plan to comb the nearby mountains where John Paul used to vacation before his death in 2005, hoping to find tracks in the snow that will lead them to whoever broke into the church and stole the item over the weekend, Carabinieri Col. Savino Guarino said. But investigators are also searching for the relic – which holds a square bloodstained piece of cloth about 2 cm (3/4 inch) – all over Italy, he said.

The relic and a golden cross were the only things stolen from San Pietro, located near the city of L’Aquila in the Abruzzo region, church members said.

Pasquale Corriere, who helped restore the church, said the sanctuary was closed Friday and Saturday because of bad weather. Corriere suggested the thieves were looking specifically for the relic, since nothing else was touched – not even the boxes that hold money for charity.

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lok nadeu pope doves attacked_00000424.jpg
Assocaiated Press
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Pope Francis waves to the crowd gathering outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil's most revered Catholic shrine, after he celebrated mass there, in Aparecida, Sao Paulo State, on July 24, 2013. Pope Francis warned Catholics on Wednesday against "ephemeral idols" like money at his first public mass in his native Latin America as huge crowds lined the streets to cheer him. The first Latin American and Jesuit pontiff visited Aparecida to lead his first big mass since arriving in the country for a week-long visit of which highlight is the huge five-day Catholic gathering World Youth Day. AFP PHOTO/LUCA ZENNARO/POOL (Photo credit should read LUCA ZENNARO/AFP/Getty Images)
LUCA ZENNARO/AFP/Getty Images
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John Paul’s former secretary, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, gave the relic to the church in 2011 “to thank us for all that we did” for the visiting pontiff, said Corriere’s daughter Franca.

“I think it was stolen by someone very faithful to John Paul II,” she said. “Really, I can’t imagine who the thieves are. My only wish is that the relic is returned to us as soon as possible.”

Guarino wouldn’t comment on any possible motive for the theft. He said more than 50 carabinieri will be out searching Tuesday if the weather improves.

John Paul II led the Roman Catholic Church for more than 26 years. The church plans to recognize him as a saint in April, along with Pope John XXIII, who is revered for his role in the Second Vatican Council.

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CNN’s Matt Smith contributed to this report.