31/08/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1VaoRs28Yn/?mibextid=wwXIfr
𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗗𝗢 𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗦 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗦?
A video of a priest kissing what is presented as the skull of St. Agatha recently went viral. Some people immediately called it “idolatry” or “worship of a dead body.”
But is that really what Catholics believe?
No.
Catholics do not worship the bones of saints. We venerate them. And this distinction is important.
📖 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐒
The word 'relic' simply refers to a remaining part or physical object associated with a saint—such as bones, ashes, hair, or clothing.
And the biblical treatment of the remains of God's servants shows that this concept is not foreign to Christianity.
🦴 THE ISRAELITES CARRIED JOSEPH'S BONES
The first striking biblical example is Joseph.
«“Moses took the bones of Joseph with him.”
— Exodus 13:19»
The Israelites carried Joseph's bones when they departed Egypt.
And after entering the Promised Land:
«“As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem.”
— Joshua 24:32»
Why would they carefully preserve and carry the bones of Joseph?
Because Joseph was God's faithful servant, and his remains were treated with honor.
⚡ GOD EVEN WORKED THROUGH ELISHA'S BONES
Consider something even more remarkable:
«“As soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.”
— 2 Kings 13:21»
Did Elisha's bones possess magical power?
No. God was the source of the miracle.
Yet God chose to work through the physical remains of His prophet.
The same principle appears in the New Testament.
✝️ GOD WORKED THROUGH OBJECTS THAT TOUCHED ST. PAUL
Acts 19:11–12 tells us:
«“God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick.”»
Again, the cloth wasn't God.
The power came from God.
But God chose to use something physically connected to His servant.
So why should it be automatically considered unbiblical for Christians to honor the bodily remains of God's holy servants?
🕊️ THE EARLY CHRISTIANS HONORED RELICS
This practice was not invented in the Middle Ages.
The early Christian account of the Martyrdom of St. Polycarp describes Christians recovering his bones after his martyrdom:
«“We afterwards took up his bones, as being more precious than the most exquisite jewels, and more purified than gold.”»
They treasured the remains of Polycarp because he had faithfully belonged to Christ.
And the account makes the distinction clear: Christ is worshiped; the martyr is honored.
📜 ST. JEROME DEFENDED THE PRACTICE
St. Jerome, writing in the fourth century, responded to those who attacked Christians for honoring relics.
He wrote:
«“We honour the relics of the martyrs, that we may adore Him whose martyrs they are.”»
That is the Catholic position in one sentence.
We honor the saint because the saint belongs to Christ.
We don't worship the bones.
We don't believe the skull is a god.
We don't believe relics possess independent divine power.
🙏 VENERATION IS NOT WORSHIP
This is where many objections misunderstand Catholic teaching.
WORSHIP / ADORATION — LATRIA
➡️ Due to God alone: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
VENERATION — DULIA
➡️ Honor given to God's saints.
SPECIAL VENERATION — HYPERDULIA
➡️ The unique honor given to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The saints are creatures.
They are not gods.
Their relics are not gods.
Their statues are not gods.
Their images are not gods.
Catholics worship God alone.
💋 THEN WHY KISS A RELIC?
A kiss can be an expression of love, respect, reverence, and honor.
Christians kiss the Bible.
People kiss the hands of parents.
A husband or wife may kiss a wedding ring as a sign of love and fidelity.
The gesture does not automatically mean that the physical object is being treated as God.
Likewise, when a Catholic kisses a relic, the gesture is one of reverence toward the saint and, ultimately, toward God who gave the saint His grace.
The relic points beyond itself.
The relic points to the saint.
The saint points to Christ.
Christ points us to God.
✝️ DON'T CONFUSE VENERATION WITH IDOLATRY
Idolatry means giving a creature the worship that belongs to God.
Catholic veneration of relics does the opposite.
It recognizes that God is the source of the saint's holiness and honors those who faithfully followed Christ.
St. Jerome said it beautifully:
«“We honour the relics of the martyrs, that we may adore Him whose martyrs they are.”»
So when Catholics venerate the relics of St. Agatha, we are not worshiping a skull.
We are remembering a Christian woman who gave her life to Christ.
We are honoring the remains of one who belonged to Him.
And above all:
WE WORSHIP GOD ALONE.
✝️ LATRIA TO THE HOLY TRINITY.
🕊️ VENERATION TO THE SAINTS.
🦴 HONOR TO THEIR RELICS.
❤️ GLORY TO GOD WHO MADE THEM HOLY.
