Pilgrims 'ransack two houses' to finance their trip

 ROME -- Two pilgrims who made the journey from Puglia to honour the remains of Saint Padre Pio, which are being displayed in Rome after being moved from their usual resting place in a town in Puglia, allegedly looted two holiday homes and fled before paying the bill, police said.

 The body of the saint is being displayed in the Italian capital as part of the Holy Year, or Jubilee of Mercy, celebrations.  Displayed in San Giovanni Rotondo, pilgrims have been lining the streets to catch a glimpse of the 50-year-old corpse, which was exhumed in 2008 and given a silicon facial reconstruction, before being blessed by the Pope last Friday.

 The 28-year-old couple, who come from Bari, were arrested on Sunday reportedly carrying bags of the stolen goods, which included the toaster, a coffee machine and the bed-sheets, amongst other items with a value of around 500 euros.

 Whilst the items were returned to their rightful owner, the couple, appearing before the court on Monday, tried to account for their actions by claiming that “they needed the money to pay for their Padre Pio pilgrimage” and to return home.  “We’re only pilgrims… We came to pay our respects to Padre Pio,” claimed one, “We’re just his devotees.”  Ironic then that they should break one of the Ten Commandments in their worship of him.

 The alarm was raised by a police patrol near the metro station of Ottaviano, where the couple were arguing fiercely with another couple, also from Bari, about taking the objects from the place they had all been staying the night before.

 When the patrol checked the bags they found objects from a Bed and Breakfast in the area where the couple had been staying from Feb 4-6 and from another hostel where they had passed the previous night.  The two Apulians took the blame immediately.

 jp-ch