John Paul II’s blood stolen from Italian church?

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.