[Alex Murphy]

Title has been shortened and modified to fit FR. Full title at original:
Incredible skeletal remains of 'Catholic saints' that are still dripping in gems and jewellery and have now been dug up by 'Indiana Bones' explorer

Thousands of skeletons were dug up from Roman catacombs in the 16th century and installed in towns around Germany, Austria and Switzerland on the orders of the Vatican. They were sent to Catholic churches and religious houses to replace the relics destroyed in the wake of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s. Mistaken for the remains of early Christian martyrs, the morbid relics, known as the Catacomb Saints, became shrines reminding of the spiritual treasures of the afterlife. They were also symbols of the Catholic Church's newly found strength in previously Protestant areas. Each one was painstakingly decorated in thousands of pounds worth of gold, silver and gems by devoted followers before being displayed in church niches. Some took up to five years to decorate. They were renamed as saints, although none of them qualified for the title under the strict rules of the Catholic church which require saints to have been canonised.

[al_c]

So how old does a grave have to be before it moves from grave robbing to archeology?

[stars & stripes forever]

Cash it in and give the proceeds to the poor.

[smvoice]

I see an e-bay auction coming up soon..

[albie]

Looks like Michelle at the presidential ball...minus 250 pounds.

[smvoice]

A great example of meekness, being humble, and taking a vow of poverty if I’ve ever seen one. Yes, this is exactly what Christ wants to see when He raises us up to be with Him. A person laden with jewels and gold. So laden that it’s gonna take a crane to lift his bones. Carry on , RCC. Carry on.

[bgill]

No wonder he died, loaded down with all that pretty weight.

[Kommodor]

For where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also?

[MHGinTN]

I wonder how much of that treasure was once a part of the Knights Templar haul?

[miss marmelstein]

Catholic art-lover, Camille Paglia, is going to faint when she sees these artifacts. Btw, you can see this kind of stuff any day in Italy or Sicily. Very common except for the high level of artistry in the jewelry.

[RedMonqey]

Don't feel too smug about the RCC.

This is as far from the teachings of Christ as Today's ‘Wealth and Prosperity” ministries seen in “Protestant” televangelists today....

Their perversions of are reflections of today's TV megachurchs, with jewels instead of multiple mansions, luxury cars and corporate jets....

[DBrow]

This reminds me of how the Egyptians would prepare the body for an afterlife.

Why were these bodies decorated like this? What was the thought process?

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

These people were buried in the Catacombs, meaning they were martyred christains....

meaning they are saints, not requiring Church canonization...

and they were adorned by nuns who were praising Christ by these acts, which is what churches do when they build long-lasting cathedrals of great expense....

like the Sistine chapel that shocks everyone with it’s beauty for Christ.

But we take your slaps for Christ with love. The gold “wasted” on these martyrs is the same as the perfume wasted on Jesus’ feet....wasted on Christ, and for that, these martyrs would have appreciated the nuns’ intentions....

For God’s greater glory, the Church provided these saints relics to plundered and raped Catholic Churches to spring hope eternal in JC.

[colinhester]

Bflr

[goodwithagun]

As a Protestant raising my children in my husband’s Catholic faith, I must write that the Catholic bashing is quite unnecessary. Both Protestants and Catholics have historical issues, and they will continue to do so until Kingdom come. As long as humans are involved in anything there will be problems. To the anti-Catholics quoting scripture: A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance. Peace be with you.

[count-your-change]

When I see these relics I keep thinking of Jesus’ words at Matt. 23:27 about the whitewashed tombs that appear outwardly beautiful but are full of dead men’s bones and every sort of uncleanness.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

-— But by the 19th century they had become morbid reminders of an embarrassing past -—

I missed the embarrassing part. It seems like excessive piety, at worst.

[Rebelbase]

This news should spark a fresh new round of midnight grave robbing.

[firebasecody]

I find devotion and veneration to be a tremendous vehicle for finding peace with God. YMMV.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Perfect symbol for any faith that puts more show on outward ritual and appearance than on the “weightier matters”.

Christi’s words about whitewashed tombs comes to mind...

[metmom]

They were renamed as saints, although none of them qualified for the title under the strict rules of the Catholic church which require saints to have been canonised.

Fake relics of fake saints by a church that calls itself the *one true church*....

right......