The southern Italian town of Priverno recently witnessed the procession of a relic belonging to St. Thomas Aquinas, his skull.
The procession, led by Bishop Mariano Crociata, marked the eve of the 750th anniversary of the esteemed medieval philosopher’s death. St. Thomas Aquinas, celebrated for his profound contributions to Western philosophy and theology, passed away in 1274 at the Fossanova Abbey, not far from where the procession took place.
The skull’s journey through Priverno’s cobblestone streets to the cathedral, where it has been venerated since its discovery in 1585, brought many pilgrims to the area. The celebrations in Priverno are part of a two-year jubilee by the Order of Preachers to honor Aquinas’ impact.
Pope Francis also marked the occasion in a message to a Vatican conference happening on Aquinas and Natural Law. He praised Aquinas’ “fresh and valid insights about our globalized world,” emphasizing the thinker’s significance in today’s society.
“The Angelic Doctor was profoundly convinced that since God is the truth and the light that illumines all understanding, there can be no ultimate contradiction between revealed truth and the truths discovered by reason,” Pope Francis said about Aquinas’ teachings on the harmony of faith and reason.
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