Vatican Renews Intent to find Famous Stolen Caravaggio “Nativity”

Considered one of the most sought-after works in the world, the Caravaggio masterpiece, The Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence, was stolen from the Oratorio di San Lorenzo in Palermo, Sicily in 1969. Clues have emerged that implicate the Sicilian mafia in its theft, but the painting remains missing. Recently, on October 15, 2018, a ministry of experts on behalf of the Vatican convened in Rome to “reiterate the opposition to the mafia by the Church” by recommitting to locate the lost masterpiece, according to an official release from the press office of the Holy See.

This meeting comes before several events relating to the painting, which has become a symbol of anti-corruption. First, Pope Francis visits Palermo on the anniversary of the painting’s theft. In addition, a Youth Synod, consisting of 150 students from Rome, joins a task force to discover new ways to support national and international institutions promoting education and culture against corruption and crime.

The FBI lists the theft as one of the Top Ten Unsolved Art Crimes. Since the time of the theft, Palermo has rid itself of the mafia presence that had once terrorized its people. Former Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando stated in a recent interview that Sicilians are working to reclaim everything the mafia took from them. Returning this work would be a victory for Italy’s cultural heritage – but also a symbolic one for those fighting corruption.

-William Caterham