Catholic bishop turns over relics to Greek Orthodox church

Associated Press

DETROIT – The Roman Catholic archbishop of Detroit has given a sacred gift to Greek Orthodox churchgoers – relics from St. Nicholas.

Cardinal Adam Maida gave a sterling silver box that the faithful believe contains the saint’s bone fragments to Bishop Nicholas of Detroit during a service Wednesday at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Troy.

The relics of St. Nicholas had been preserved at the Vatican, headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, since the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

According to Detroit-area leaders of both religions, the Vatican decided to give the relics to the Greek Orthodox Church in Detroit after Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of world Eastern Orthodoxy, visited Detroit last year and struck up a friendship with Maida.

The bishop heads the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Detroit, including some 100,000 church members in Michigan and Arkansas, as well as parts of Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio and Tennessee. Nicholas is the patron saint of children and the basis of the Santa Claus legend.

Maida prayed over the box, but he and the bishop did not celebrate a joint Mass. Still, the gift is a gesture of ecumenicism, said Bishop Nicholas.

“To all of us, it is a visible sign of love and mutual affection, as relics are part of the tradition of both churches,” he told the Detroit Free Press. A relic is a piece of the body of a saint, usually a bone or a lock of hair, or some other object associated with a holy figure.

The service took place on the eve of Thursday’s Feast of St. Nicholas, a holy day celebrated Dec. 6 by many Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches. Some Orthodox churches celebrate it Dec. 19.

The gift follows Pope John Paul II’s visit to Armenia this year to meet with orthodox church leaders. The pope said his trip was another step toward unifying the Christian church.

In March, a Vatican delegation turned over other relics of St. Nicholas to the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow. Also known as St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker, he is one of Russia’s most popular saints.

Christianity split into the two branches – Catholicism and Orthodoxy – nearly 1,000 years ago in disputes over papal authority.