Tabernacle stolen from Madonna del Bosco sanctuary
A group of unknown perpetrators entered the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Bosco near Alfonsine, cutting the bars of a ground-floor window and stealing the tabernacle and silver ornaments from the shrine’s Marian image. The theft was discovered on 26 September. The stolen tabernacle contained a ciborium with consecrated hosts, a desecration which strikes at the heart of the Catholic faith. Police have opened an investigation into the sacrilegious incident.
The theft was discovered on 26 September at the Santuario della Madonna del Bosco in Alfonsine. The report states that the perpetrators cut the bars protecting a ground-floor window and entered the sanctuary. They removed the tabernacle which contained consecrated hosts, and which was of great value to the parish community. Further, they stole the silver ornaments forming part of the shrine surrounding the image of the Madonna del Bosco, and ransacked the sanctuary kitchen.
Parish priest, Don Massimo Goni, described the theft of the consecrated hosts in a social media post as a "very serious outrage against the Eucharist" and invited the faithful to pray in reparation following the sacrilegious theft. The Shrine of the Madonna del Bosco is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics, preserving the ceramic image of the Virgin dating to the 16th century.
At the time of reporting, the Carabinieri had opened an investigation into the theft and desecration.
Update, 19 October 2026: The tabernacle was recovered on 27 September from an irrigation channel near the sanctuary and returned to the parish, although the ciborium and Communion pyx were missing. During a Mass of reparation on 28 September, Bishop Michele Morandi explained that some consecrated hosts had been recovered, but the large host remained missing, and appealed for its return. He also announced plans to improve security by installing alarms. An article published today continued to report that the stolen ciborium and Communion pyx had not been recovered yet.
Sources: ravennaedintorni, ilrestodelcarlino
Image: wiki commons
