The valuable relic that was stolen from the Romanian orthodox church in Turnhout (Antwerp Province) ten days ago has been reunited with its owners. It was a police officer working for the local force that found the relic during a walk.
“It’s a miracle” says Gabriel Bogdan, the priest at the Holy Heart Romanian orthodox church in Turnhout: “There was no guarantee the relic would ever be found”.
The relic was among items stolen from the church on the night of Friday 4 November.
It was by coincidence that a police officer found the relic behind several cars on a carpark in Turnhout.
The relic’s glass in broken, but priest Gabriel Bogdan told RTV television that could easily be repaired: “I’m so grateful to the people who stole it that they didn’t throw it away at a different spot. There are so many canals in Antwerp. We would never have found it”.
The relic that is valuable also for religious reasons is the only stolen item to be recovered so far. Police examined the object to find clues, but the thieves remain on the run. The investigation is ongoing.