Ricci was corned by practitioners who recovered the sacred wafers.
Despite the fact that Roman Catholics believe that this is the actual body of Christ, he was charged with theft and disruption rather than attempted kidnapping. The cops must have been protestants.
When I went to Quigley North Preparatory Seminary in Chicago (the last such school in the country), I had a friend who tried to make a theological point by sitting in front of an older priest’s office and munching on communion wafers. He point was to show that, absent consecration in the Eucharist, these wafers are mere bread. The point was lost on the priest and my friend was sent into deep detention.
What is fascinating about this charge is the value placed on the wafers, which appear to have already been consecrated. As the body of Christ, they are priceless to Catholics. The value can play a role in the level of theft charged under misdemeanor and felony provisions.
It also creates a certain overlap in the message of Matthew 22:21: Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s. Ricci has a lot of rendering to do.
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