Holy Snip, Wholly Nipped

With all the pre-holiday rush, I forgot all about this story-- but it was too good to pass up.

It seems that freelance David Farley has been searching far and wide for the Holy Prepuce. This relic is claimed by believers to be the foreskin of Jesus-- and thus, (according to Farley) one of the only conceivable parts of his body that could have been left on earth.

The circumcision of Jesus is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke and the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, still celebrated by many churches, falls on January 1st. At various points in history, a number of churches in Europe have claimed to possess it, sometimes at the same time. Naturally enough, various miraculous powers have been ascribed to it over the years.

According to the best-documented history of the holy prepuce, it resided in a church in Calcata, Italy, for more than 400 years until it was apparently stolen in 1983. Calcuta residents attribute the disappearance to several sources-- some accuse satanists or neo-nazis, but the culprit named most often is the Catholic Church itself, which has attempted to suppress the veneration of relics in general and of the holy prepuce in particular.

According to the Star Tribune report, Farley says the Vatican issued decrees in 1900 and 1954 threatening to excommunicate anyone who encourages "irreverent curiosity" by even mentioning the foreskin. He plans on publishing a book next year which will bring the topic (and the identity of the mysterious thief) to the fore.