Chilean bishop exhorts thieves to return stolen statue of Mary in Maipu

Santiago, Chile, Oct 4, 2007 / 09:19 am

Bishop Juan Ignacio Gonzalez of San Bernardo has asked those responsible for stealing a statue of Mary on the night of September 30 at the local Cathedral to return it.

The Chilean bishop told those responsible for the theft, “For the love of God, return it and think about your own mother.”  He called the act “a very grave offense against God for which they will pay either in this life or in the next.”

The theft of the statue, which was over 200 years old, came at the same time as a relic from the true Cross was stolen last week from the Basilica de la Merced in Santiago.