Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, participated in an ancient Catholic ritual on August 17, bowing and kissing the 1,700-year-old skull of Saint Agatha. The relic had been temporarily removed from its gold bust reliquary at Catania Cathedral for restoration and was returned during an elaborate ceremony.
The ritual marked the 900th anniversary of Saint Agatha’s relics being returned to Catania from Constantinople in 1126. Footage of the ceremony, a traditional rite of veneration, circulated widely on social media, prompting discussion about the practice.
Saint Agatha, a third-century Christian martyr and the patron saint of Catania, was born around 231 AD. According to Christian tradition, she died in prison around 251 AD during Emperor Decius’s persecution of Christians after refusing to renounce her faith and enduring torture. Her relics were taken to Constantinople in 1040 and recovered by soldiers 86 years later, returning to Catania on August 17, 1126.
Within Catholic tradition, kissing a relic is an act of veneration, signifying deep respect for a saint, rather than worship, which is reserved for God. Catholics view relics as tangible connections to early Church figures and reminders of their courage. Believers may pray beside relics, asking the saint to intercede with God.
The ceremony, known locally as Sant’Agata d’Agosto, commemorated the return of Agatha’s relics, distinct from the larger February feast honoring her martyrdom. Church leaders carried the skull in a procession, displayed it for public prayer, and then placed it back into its 14th-century gold and silver-gilt bust, the Busto Reliquiario. Other remains are housed in a separate silver reliquary casket called a scrigno.
Cardinal Parolin also placed a crown atop the bust, a gesture that honored Agatha’s status as a martyr and Catania’s spiritual protector, rather than conferring sainthood. The events began with a prayer vigil on August 16, followed by a pilgrimage. Church bells rang across the archdiocese as worshippers accompanied Agatha’s relics toward the cathedral, retracing the historic homecoming.
While Catholics consider the act a form of honor, many non-Catholics perceive the veneration of relics as idolatry. However, Catholic tradition explains such practices as devotional symbolism expressing honor toward Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or saints, not the worship of the object itself.