Rome Diocese Urges Prayer After Eucharist Is Stolen

Another prayer of reparation is: With that most profound respect which divine Faith inspires, O my God and Saviour Jesus Christ, true God and true man, I adore Thee, and with my whole heart I love Thee, hidden in the most august Sacrament of the Altar,in reparation of all the irreverences, profanations, and sacrileges, that I, to my shame, may have until now committed, as also for all those that have been committed against Thee, or that may be ever committed for the time to come. I offer to Thee, therefore, O my God, my humble adoration, not indeed, such as Thou art worthy of, nor such as I owe Thee, but such, at least, as I am capable of offerings; and I wish that I could love Thee with the most perfect love of which rational creatures are capable. In the meantime, I desire to adore Thee now and always, not only for those Catholics who do not adore or love Thee, but also so supply the defect, and for the conversion of all heretics, schismatics, libertines, atheists, blasphemers, sorcerers, Mahomedans, Jews, and idolaters. Ah! yes, my Jesus, mayest Thou be known, adored, and loved by all and may thanks be continually given to Thee in the most holy and august Sacrament!

From Aleteia

By Matthew Green

Let us join in prayer with the entire Archdiocese of Rome in reparation for the theft of the Blessed Sacrament from a hospital, and for all sacrileges. The cardinal has given a prayer to pray (below).

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, has asked all the Catholic communities of the diocese to participate in prayers and acts of reparation on Sunday, June 21, 2026, after a sacrilege against the Eucharist (see prayers at the end of the article).

Sometime between the evening of June 15 and mid-morning on June 16, a still-unidentified person or persons stole the entire tabernacle with consecrated hosts from the chapel of Aurelia Hospital, located on the western outskirts of the Italian capital. The thief also stole the donations from the chapel’s votive candles.

This act is “not only a theft perpetrated in a sacred space, but a sacrilege that offends the Lord present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist,” Cardinal Reina wrote in a public letter on June 19. It also “deeply wounds the faith” of the Christian community.

The fact that this sacrilege took place in a hospital chapel makes the offense even more painful, the cardinal said. “Many sick people, families, doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers find consolation, silence, prayer, and hope” before the Blessed Sacrament.

Speaking of the unknown perpetrator(s), Cardinal Reina invites everyone to pray “that the Lord touch their hearts so they may recognize the evil they have committed, sincerely repent, and start along a path of conversion.” Naturally, they should also “do whatever is necessary to repair the offense against God and the ecclesial community.”

Prayers and reparation

Cardinal Reina explains that in the face of such an act, “we cannot limit ourselves” to condemning it. “As the people of God, we are called above all to prayer and reparation.”

In the specific case of an offense against the Eucharist, he explains, we are called “to renew our faith in the Real Presence of the Lord.” This should include practical actions, such as “the greatest vigilance of holy places” and refocusing on “the center of our Christian life: Jesus Christ alive and present in the Sacrament of the altar.”

Consequently, Cardinal Reina asks the entire archdiocese to hold “a moment of prayer for this sacrilege.” During Sunday Mass, they are to include a special intention in the Prayers of the Faithful at Mass, and a prayer of reparation before the final blessing. He also invites every community in the archdiocese to hold an hour of Eucharistic Adoration “for this same intention.”

Joining in prayer

This act of sacrilege has drawn widespread media attention in part because of where it took place, just a few miles from the Vatican. However, other sacrileges against the Blessed Sacrament, smaller or in more remote locations, also occur without receiving the same attention. We can all join the Diocese of Rome in prayers of reparation for this particular sacrilege and for all those that occur around the world.

Here is our unofficial translation from Italian of the prayers of reparation that the Vicar of the Diocese of Rome included in his letter:

Prayer of Reparation

Lord Jesus Christ,
present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar,
with living faith
we adore your Eucharistic presence
and we ask your forgiveness
for every offense committed against you.
Be merciful with your people, Lord.
Forgive all our sins,
and in your goodness
convert the hearts of all those who, with words and actions,
offend your Most Holy Body.
Strengthen our love for the Eucharist,
the Bread of eternal life,
so that, every time we celebrate the mystery of our salvation,
we may become participants in the eternal redemption
that you have won for us through your Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
You live and reign forever.
Amen.

Prayer intention

For the Church:
may the profanation of the Most Holy Sacrament,
which deeply wounds the people of God,
give new life to our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist,
so that, nourished by the Bread of Life,
we may walk in the hope of the resurrection
and may be credible witnesses in the world
of Christ’s love.