Nine relics stolen from Kirkop Parish Church of St Leonard

The Archdiocese of Malta and the Curia, with police, confirmed nine relics were stolen from a reliquary behind the main altar of Kirkop Parish Church (Parish Church of St Leonard the Abbot). The St Leonard Musical Society said it was informed on Sunday, 13 September 2026 — two days after the St Leonard feast — that relics, including a relic of St Leonard, were missing. There was no forced entry to the reliquary. The parish priest filed a police report at the Żurrieq station after verifying the relics had not merely been relocated; police confirmed nine relics were missing and that the report was filed on Thursday. The Archdiocese condemned the theft as a sacrilegious and criminal act and appealed for the relics to be returned. TVM News published on 22 September 2026.

Theft mapped to incidentType vandalism. Coordinates are the Nominatim place_of_worship pin for Kirkop Parish Church (35.8423130, 14.4858116). occurredOn uses 2026-09-13 as the discovery and notification date; 22 September is the Archdiocese and police confirmation news date.