Caracas, Venezuela, Jun 5, 2008 / 05:32 pm (CNA).- A gold embroidered tunic used to decorate a statue of the Divine Child Jesus has been stolen from the Basilica of St. Teresa in the Venezuelan capital Caracas.  Msgr. Adan Ramirez, who is rector at the Basilica, said the incident proves “there are no values or respect for God.”
 
On Tuesday several people broke into the church and stole the tunic from the statue. They also carried off jewels left by the faithful in thanksgiving for favors received and the weekly collection.

“This is not theft against the pastor or the Basilica, but rather against the faithful who often give up something or make sacrifices in order to fulfill their promises,” Msgr. Ramirez said.

He said the tunic has incalculable religious value and that what happened was “a sign of the social decomposition we are experiencing.”  “There is constant theft and prostitution outside our church,” he lamented, and therefore the robbery “is a sign that there is no respect for anything or anybody.”

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