office. In 1962, these bones were analyzed by Venerando Correnti, one of
Europe’s most distinguished anthropologists. “The remains,” he said, “are
from a single male between sixty and seventy years, about five feet seven
inches tall and of robust constitution. Judging from the soil, the body must
have been buried in the earth. The bones––and not the body––were at some
time wrapped in purple cloth.” The fabric with the bones was interwoven
with gold threads.
In February 1964 Pope Paul VI gave permission for further tests on the
bones and the fabric. The analysis found, firstly, that the fabric was the
same type used to wrap the bones of St. Peter when they were transferred in
the time of Constantine; secondly, the earth particles covering the bones
were found to be identical in type to the soil in St. Peter’s original tomb.
Other tests on the repository Wall G established that it was an ancient
Roman work with absolutely no trace of later tampering or rebuilding. All
the evidence all pointed now to only one conclusion.
Pope Paul VI announced to one of the excavators that “those bones are like
gold to us.” On June 26, 1968, he surprised the world by announcing
officially that the bones of St. Peter had finally been rediscovered and
identified: “The relics of St. Peter have been identified in a manner which
we believe convincing … very patient and accurate investigations were
made with the result which we believe positive.” On the following day the
Pope, in a solemn ceremony, restored the sacred bones to their ancient
resting-place.³
The Fathers
Dionysius of Corinth, To Pope Soter (c. 170 AD) [in Eusebius,
Ecclesiastical History 2, 25, 8 (303 AD)]
“You have also, by your very admonition, brought together the planting
that was made by Peter and Paul at Rome and at Corinth; for both of them
alike planted in our Corinth and taught us; and both alike, teaching
similarly in Italy, suffered martyrdom at the same time.”
St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 3, 3, 2 (c. 180 AD)
“…by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and
most ancient Church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the
3
Cf. J. E. Walsh, The Bones of St. Peter, Doubleday, New York, 1982.
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