mon 14 dec 2015, 18:07

Italian police intercepted nepzegeningen

ROME –

The Italian police has about 3,500 fake awards with the blessings of pope Francis seized. The documents were sold to pilgrims in Rome, said the authorities Monday.

Paus Franciscus. De Italiaanse politie heeft circa 3500 nep-oorkondes met vervalste zegeningen van de paus in beslag genomen.

Pope Francis. The Italian police has about 3,500 fake awards with fake blessings of the pope, seized.
Photo: AFP

The awards were gekalligrafeerd and showed pictures of the pope. They were printed in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and English, and represented a value of around 70,000 euro.

The nepzegeningen were found in a souvenir shop near the Vatican. The shop owner is indicted for counterfeiting of goods.

The Vatican sells the real blessings of saint Francis for occasions like births, weddings and birthdays. All proceeds go to projects for the poor and needy in Rome help.