Photo Credit: Berthold Werner/Wikipedia
[Telegraph] Eight bone fragments reputed to be of St Peter were held aloft by Pope Francis at mass on Sunday – the first time the relics have ever been shown to the public.
Discovered during the excavation of tombs under St Peter's Basilica in the 1940s, the alleged bones of the saint and apostle who lived 2,000 years ago - and who is considered the first pope - have always been stored in the chapel of the papal apartment.
But to mark the end of the Vatican's Year of Faith, during which 8.5 million people have visited St Peter's tomb, the bronze box containing the fragments was brought into St Peter's Square for an open air mass on Sunday.
Placed on the altar, the box was opened, revealing the fragments - each measuring about an inch long - laid on an ivory base and held down with wire. Pope Francis first wafted incense towards the bones, then held the box aloft during the mass, although he did not refer to them.
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