Missing St Leonard relic: Questions raised over Kirkop parish priest’s actions

Għaqda Mużikali San Leonardu A.D. 1858 has accused the Kirkop parish priest of failing in his responsibility to safeguard sacred relics, following the disappearance of several relics, including one of St Leonard the Abbot, from the parish church.

The band club said it was informed on Sunday, 13 September 2026, that a number of relics were missing from the church, among them the relic of St Leonard.

According to the organisation, the parish priest was informed immediately and said he would notify the ecclesiastical authorities and await further instructions, including on whether a police report should be filed.

In the meantime, the parish priest ordered the remaining relics to be placed securely in a safe.

The band club said it was subsequently informed that a police report had been filed on Thursday, 17 September. It said it had received no further information since then.

The organisation said it had deliberately refrained from commenting publicly while the parish was celebrating its principal feast, out of respect for the occasion.

With the feast now concluded, however, the band club said it believed several issues needed to be raised.

It said the spiritual leader of a parish has a responsibility, alongside evangelisation and other spiritual duties, to ensure that sacred objects, including holy relics, are properly cared for and safeguarded.

The band club accused the Kirkop parish priest of failing to fulfil this responsibility.

It argued that, as a matter of common sense and as part of his duties, the parish priest should have ensured that the relics were properly secured, rather than having them safeguarded only after their disappearance was discovered.

According to the organisation, the relics had been kept in a wall-mounted reliquary beside the altar of St Leonard. It said the reliquary was not locked, meaning the relics could be accessed.

The band club also stressed that, in the absence of a sacristan, responsibility for the parish’s religious heritage rests with the parish priest rather than with volunteers who assist at the church.

The organisation said the missing St Leonard relic was last used on 6 November 2025, during the liturgical feast of St Leonard, and was returned to its usual location later that month. It added that the wall-mounted reliquary itself was last known to have been used in July 2026.

The band club further argued that a police report should have been filed immediately after the disappearance of the relics was discovered.

It questioned why four days had passed between the discovery of the missing relics and the filing of the police report. It also noted that ecclesiastical authorities had previously attended religious functions in 2017 involving St Leonard’s ceremonial skull.

The organisation stressed that it was not pointing the finger at any individual and acknowledged that there was no concrete evidence indicating who was responsible for the disappearance.

At the same time, it said it expected accountability from anyone who had failed in their duties.

The band club concluded by saying that its decision to remain silent and exercise caution in recent days should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness.