The Vatican is planning an unprecedented public display of the relics of St. Peter, as the Year of Faith comes to a close.
The display was announced by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the president of Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, in an article appearing in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. The archbishop did not supply any details of the plans.
The tomb of St. Peter, located under the altar of the Vatican basilica, was unearthed during excavations in the mid-20the century. In 1968, after extensive research and testing, Pope Paul VI announced that relics of St. Peter had been identified. These relics have been kept in the grotto of the basilica, and never placed on public display.