Benedict says bones may belong to St Paul
By Anna Arco

3 July 2009

A scientific investigation seems to confirm the theory that St Paul's bones lie under the basilica bearing his name in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI has announced.

The bones, long buried in a sarcophagus under St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, have been carbon-dated to the first or second century AD, the Pope said, adding a dramatic flourish to the close of the Pauline year.

Standing in front of the sarcophagus, which is under the main altar and was discovered only three years ago, Pope Benedict said he felt moved to be able to make the announcement.

The Holy Father said: "This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that these are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul, and it fills our heart with profound emotion."

He explained that a micro-probe was inserted into the sarcophagus and found fragments of costly gold-embroidered purple linen, grains of incense and human bones. Researchers who did not know where the fragments were coming from or what they were thought to be performed radiocarbon tests, dating the pieces to the first or second century. The sarcophagus was not opened for the tests.

Tradition has maintained that the bones of St Paul were buried in Rome after his martyrdom in the city in the first century AD. Some fragments are believed to be in the Basilica of St John Lateran but most of the body is thought to be buried in St Paul's.

Pope Benedict caused a stir when he announced the celebration of the Pauline year on the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul in 2007, saying that the sarcophagus preserved the remains of St Paul "by the unanimous opinion of experts and an undisputed tradition".

Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, the archpriest of St Paul Outside the Walls, said that the sarcophagus, which dates from the fourth century, would be opened for further tests. He said it would be "important to avoid even the smallest damage". It was also announced this week that the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology has discovered the oldest-known icon of the Apostle.

Ending the Pauline year with the First Vespers at St Paul Outside the Walls, Pope Benedict said St Paul was the Master of the Gentiles "who wished to carry the message of the risen Christ to all men and women, because Christ has known and loved them all, He died and rose again for them all".

The Pope called upon the faithful not to "succumb to the blueprint of the current age".

He said: "The phrase 'adult faith' has become a common slogan over recent decades. It is often understood as the attitude of those who no longer listen to the Church and her pastors, but autonomously choose what they wish to believe and not to believe: a sort of 'do-it-yourself' faith. This is also presented as the 'courage' to go against the Magisterium of the Church."

Benedict XVI said that adhering to the faith of the Church when it contradicted the modern world required courage.

He said: "It is the 'non-conformity' of faith that Paul calls 'adult faith'. What he considers childlike is to charge after all the winds and currents of the age."