Juan Ameen
Thieves target Żabbar statue
Best pieces of jewellery in bank for safekeeping
Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi.
Jewellery was stolen from the statue of Our Lady of Graces after thieves made their way into the Żabbar church on Saturday night.
Although the value of the stolen jewellery has not yet been established, it is estimated to run into thousands of euros.
The police could not confirm how many people were involved but more than one person is suspected to have participated in the theft. Sources said one person was arrested yesterday afternoon and is helping the police in their investigations.
The thieves are thought to have made their way into the church, which dates back to the 17th century, possibly by scaling the scaffolding being used in connection with restoration works on the façade. They are thought to have gone through the belfry and then gained access to the church.
The theft was not noticed until the first Mass, at 6 a.m., when parish priest Fr Sebastian Caruana went to open the Tabernacle for Holy Communion.
Attempts had been made to force open the Tabernacle, the sources said.
A laptop used for power-point presentations during Mass and money from collection boxes were also stolen.
Almost immediately, the parish priest realised that the glass door of the niche holding the statue of Our Lady of Graces, dating back to the 18th century, was open and jewellery was missing.
A man who was attending Mass said he did not even realise something was wrong and he went out on the church's parvis with the rest of the congregation.
The police were called in at about 6.50 a.m. and found the area in the church had been closed off with benches.
Tradition has it that the statue is decorated with jewellery, usually old family heirlooms, left by the family after a grace was granted. However, the bulk and best pieces of jewellery are placed on the statue of Our Lady of Graces during the feast, celebrated on the first Sunday after September 8. This year, it was celebrated on September 13 and immediately after the feast was over most of the jewellery was returned to a bank for safekeeping.
Duty Magistrate Miriam Hayman appointed several experts to help her in the inquiry. Police are still investigating.
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Joe Xuereb
Nov 26th 2009, 01:06
Nittama li min hu nkarigat jara x'jaghmel biex statwa hekk prezzjuza ghaz-Zabbarin tkun indukrata ahjar. Kull ma hemm bzonn hi gabra u d-deheb jibqa' tal-Madonna biex tidher sabieha kif hu wisq xieraq.
Claire Busuttil
Nov 24th 2009, 21:52
@DeMartino.........lanqas biss tafni u trid bilfors tatakka!!...jien ma attakajt u lanqas bi hsibni natakka li xi hadd, liskop tieghi mhux dan, ghal kuntrarju tieghek milli jidher. semplicement ktibt opinjoni tieghi!!
Galea. L
Nov 24th 2009, 10:00
Joe Xuereb Jiena bhalek qieghed nghaddi l-kummenti tieghi grazzi ghall-Editur. La qed nitbaqbaq u lanqas ma ridt b'xi mod ma nhallikx tesprimi l-opinjoni tieghek. Ma nafx kif hadt ghalik. Il-jum it-tajjeb siehbi.
GiovDeMartino@Claire Busuttil
Nov 24th 2009, 08:29
Anqas int, Sinjorina, tindahlilniex lil min naghtu u ma naghtux. Imma t-twegiba tieghek kixfitek! Le mhux se nindahlulek.....flusek aghtihom lill-fqar mhux lill-istatwi.
Claire Busuttil
Nov 24th 2009, 00:04
@DeMartino, mela l ewwel haga tithodlx personali....la ma tafniex!!! u t tieni, aktar milli habba ir religjon, nipprova nighx hajja tajjba, ghax dak l; uniku ezempju li dejjem kelli!!..mhiniex qaddisa.....imma ha nighdlek sur demartino, nipreferi jekk ikolli naghti, naghti lil min hu fil bzonn milli statwa ta.
Joe Xuereb
Nov 23rd 2009, 22:55
@ L. Galea. Tidher li qed titbaqbaq u titmashan siehbi. Sa' fejn ghandi x'naqsam jien BISS, jekk nghid, jew nghidlek, li ma naqbilx li statwa nindurawha bid-deheb, dik mhiex hlief opinjoni tieghi. Dik id-demokrazija, hekk tahdem. Int ma ghandek l-ebda dmir li taghtini widen u wisq anqas li thossok obbligat li tisma' minni. Heqq, f'pajjiz hieles qed nghixu habib. U kulhadd wasal fl-eta` tar-raguni. Hadd m'hu qed jilwi driegh hadd. Specjalment hawn, fuq il-kompjuter. Sakemm ma jsirx xi miraklu sintendi. Tisma' bilfors, temmen jekk trid. Jew xi hag'hekk jekk niftakar sew. Ili nieqes.
Aghdirni gbin.
Galea. L
Nov 23rd 2009, 21:48
Miguel Micallef
Tahseb li jekk jiena jkolli mitt ewro u rrid nahraqhom se jindahalli xi hadd inkluz il-Knisja jew il-Gvern?
Bil-proprjeta' tieghi naghmel li rrid u jekk irrid naghmel xi haga biex inzejjen statwa hadd u xejn ma jindahalli. X'naghmel bi flusu affari tieghi u ta' hadd izjed.
Silvio Mizzi
Nov 23rd 2009, 19:14
Dan l-incident huwa kundanabbli
Miguel Micallef
Nov 23rd 2009, 18:35
@Chris Debono. Jien la jien kattoliku, la nisrani, la kristjan u nsoma xej min mitt elf isem iehor li taghtu lilkom infuskom, pero idea tal bibja ghandi - u nies bhalek taf fiex ifakkruni!? Fis silta meta jinzel Mose' bil kmandamenti u jsibom bil figura tad- deheb! Jekk niftakar sew, xejn ma kien ha gost! Jien ghalija li f dan iz zmien ta informazjoni tibqa twahal id deheb ma statwa minflok ma tahtijom karita ga la darba ghandek iz zejed, ma nistax la nifhem kif issir u laqas kif tithalla issir ibda mil gvern u wisq iktar u iktar mil knsija innifisa, li supost qeda hemm biex taghti ezempju u ggib id-dinja post ahjar ghal kulhad (suppost, dejjem).
GiovDeMartino@Claire Busuttil
Nov 23rd 2009, 18:17
Anki fi zmien Kristu hekk qalu meta raw lill-Madalena tidilku bil-fwieha. U Gesu canfarhom. Int taghmel xejn bhalma qed tippriedka Ms. Busuttil?
Claire Busuttil
Nov 23rd 2009, 17:18
Ir religjon nisranija, taghlimna, biex nitbedu min dak kollu li hu materjali. Il knisja ghanda taggorna ruha u ma thallix aktar nies joffru flus u gid, lil knisja/statwi etc. Ghandha taghllem, li mhux dan l att li iressaq il bnidem lejn Alla, imma tabilhaqq, l atti ta karita li wiehed jista u ghandu jaghmel, ma min ghandu bzonn. L-is statwa ma ghandiex bzonn!!! Tafu kemm hawn min ghandu bzonn ghajnuna finanzjarja??? tafu li 'l madonna, aktar se tiehu gost meta taghti li ghandek ghal haddiehor, milli ghal xbieha taghha???!!!
john galea
Nov 23rd 2009, 16:56
Sounds like a job done by eastern europeans. They do the same tricks in the UK! They like to tamper with the ATM machines too!
Chris Debono
Nov 23rd 2009, 16:33
i totally disagree with all these comments here. why shouldn't a statue be decorated with gold chains & rings? it's the only way we can show our love to Our Lady or a Saint. we can't go to them & just say 'Thank You', because we can't see them in person. so it's common sence that we give a gold chain or a ring to Our Lady to thank Her for her graces. She is the Queen, so we all know that a Queen is the most rich & wise person. Our lady is the Queen of Heaven & Earth. Never went to see statues in Sicily? they are all covered with gold. Saints should be honored with the best way we can honor them.
So sad to read the bad news that happened in Zabbar. it's such a shame! It's not the first time that the Zabbar Sanctuary had been stolen. we all remember the theft of the Crown of the Titular painting. the same episode happened in Gozo, when the Crown from the Titular painting of Our lady Of Graces, adorned in Victoria, has been stolen twice, & has not been found yet!
D. Penza
Nov 23rd 2009, 15:42
@ R Pullicino & R Gacia
What i meant was that a statue does not move, smile or show any gratitude if you decorate it with any expensive jewellery.
Joe Xuereb
Nov 23rd 2009, 14:23
If a friend/relative did you a good turn you show appreciation. If Our Lady granted a wish you adorn her effigy. Presumably you are sacrificing, in so doing, a piece of jewellery dear to you. But Our Lady is not exactly a friend/relative. Surely she rises above accepting tangible gifts for her bounty. I have no words to explain this but something does not add up. Our Lady does not do tangibles. She is not on the same levels as you as a human. She transcends all that. Stop being arrogant, thanking Her with a gold-chain. She does not need it. Make better use of your money. Be kind to yourself, to those around you, to the deserving poor. No such an easy choice. Because it is a human endeavour and nothing human is ever clear-cut. It is so much easier to give gold to a statue and clear your conscience. Do not forget that a greedy relative had his/her eye on the heavy gold-chain. By giving it to a stone effigy, rightly or wrongly, that's going to create ambivalence in the mind of the potential beneficiary of your chattels. And that's when the whole thing becomes unsettlingly surreal.
Carmel Garcia
Nov 23rd 2009, 13:35
Mr Penza and Mr Lennon are telling us also to take off our jewelery and other valuable things from home and even from us. Also they are saying to remove everthing that's valuable from Palaces, Churches, Homes and many other places. Even jewelery shopowners should remove their valuables for sale from their shops.
Reuben Pullicino
Nov 23rd 2009, 13:23
The statue of our Lady of Graces carries huge devotion amongst Zabbar people and all Maltese alike. I suggest that photos of the stolen items be circulated to make sure these are not sold elsewhere.
I totally disagree with Mr. Penza and Mr. Lennon. Shall we remove all paintings and sculptures from our palaces and churches. The solution is simply taking appropriate security measures.
D. Penza
Nov 23rd 2009, 13:05
@ A lennon
You're right, it doesn't make sense putting jewellery on/under statues. They don't have any lives. A church is a place where to pray, not a jewellery shop.
A Lennon
Nov 23rd 2009, 12:44
I don't understand. Why was there jewelery there? It seems a bit tasteless to display such things at the feet on Mary and the baby Jesus. Surley they distained these things.
J Farrugia
Nov 23rd 2009, 10:26
from my point of view this is IRRESPONSIBILITY ALL AROUND. a CRIME waiting to happen and it did.