Pope John Paul II has become a near-saint amongst some Catholics, so it's no surprise that his vial of blood being stolen has made national news. There is even speculation that it was stolen for "satanic rituals"!

According to The Guardian, the Pope -- who will be made a saint in May of this year -- left a vial of his blood in a monastary in the Abruzzo region of Italy, where the deceased Blessed Pontiff used to retreat in order to ski, hike, and pray when the pressures of being Pope became too great. The vial of blood was saved in 1981, after the Pope survived an assassination attempt. A guardian of the property, Franca Corrieri, noticed a window in the monastary was broken, and she called the police. When the police arrived, they realized the pontiff's blood vial, along with a crucifix, was missing.

This has led NBC News to speculate that the blood was stolen in order to be used in a Satanic ritual. "Italian authorities said they believe the theft was commissioned, as thieves stole only the relic and left many other valuables behind at the church. Only three of John Paul II's relics contain his blood and they are all considered of great religious value. As the late pontiff's blood would be difficult to sell, Italian police said it is possible the thieves may plan to use it for satanic rites," reports NBC News.

Another possibility -- one that is a bit less esoteric in nature -- is that the relic is being held for ransom. The thieves had plenty of time to steal other valuable items from the monastary, but chose not to take them. As an end result, this has led to the suggestion that the thieves know that the blood is only valuable to those who know that it's valuable -- that is, they just want money from the Catholic Church, because no one else would buy a vial of blood just to have it (it's worthless on the black market).

Still, Corrieri feels that the violation goes a lot deeper than money: she said that she feels like "a person has been stolen."

What do you make of this latest theft?