The Archdiocese of Valencia has reported the theft of the Tabernacle containing the sacred hosts in the parish of San Francisco de Asís in Manises, in an act it describes as “gravely offensive to the Lord and to the faith of the people of God”.
In the official statement, the Archdiocese reports that the Tabernacle with the Eucharistic species, a paten, cruets, and candelabra have been stolen. The seriousness of the incident is not limited to the material value of the stolen objects, but directly affects the center of the Church’s sacramental life: the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Call for Repentance and Return of the Hosts
The Archdiocese has expressly invited the perpetrators of the theft to repent and return the stolen items, “especially the Eucharistic species”. The statement emphasizes the sacrilegious nature of the act, which deeply wounds the faith of the Christian community.
In response to what has happened, the Archbishop of Valencia, Mons. Enrique Benavent, has asked the faithful of the diocese to perform acts of reparation and love for Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist. Likewise, he has encouraged them to implore the Lord’s mercy for those who have committed the theft, recalling that Christ, from the cross, asked the Father for forgiveness for his persecutors.
Reparatory Eucharist on March 7
As a response to this grave attack against the sacred, the archbishop will preside over a reparatory Eucharist on the upcoming March 7 at 7:00 PM in the parish of San Francisco de Asís in Manises.