Italian police seize 6 million unsafe religious items in Rome
The Italian Financial Guard has carried out one of Rome's largest confiscations of religious items in recent years. Officers discovered approximately 6 million religious items produced in China, intended for sale ahead of the upcoming Holy Year.
In Rome, the Italian Financial Guard confiscated 6 million religious items made in China. The city's media reported this news, highlighting that these items were intended for distribution in connection with the upcoming Holy Year, scheduled for 2025.
Among the seized religious items were crosses, rosaries, keychains, images of Pope Francis and John Paul II, and miniatures of Saint Peter's Basilica.
All these products were prepared for distribution as part of church celebrations related to the Great Jubilee. The portal "Roma Today" described this operation as the "Great Jubilee made in China," underscoring the scale and unusual origin of the goods.
Second large religious items confiscation operation
This mass confiscation is the second such large operation in recent times. Just a few days earlier, in the heart of Rome, officers confiscated over 100,000 religious souvenirs. Among them were counterfeit items bearing the Vatican-registered Holy Year logo and the slogan "Pilgrims of hope." Additionally, these products were available for sale long before the official start of the Jubilee, which led to further suspicions from the authorities.
Dangerous metals in religious items
Inspections revealed that many of these religious items did not meet European safety standards. The primary concern was the use of metals that could pose a health risk. The Italian fiscal police, conducting inspections to combat the illegal goods trade, discovered the warehouse near Termini station. There, 6 million items were found, which also violated EU and national safety and trade regulations.
The Great Jubilee, for which the religious items were intended, will attract millions of pilgrims to Rome, prompting the Italian authorities to be particularly vigilant regarding any irregularities related to the trade of religious souvenirs.
