Vatican Receives Ransom Call For Stolen Michelangelo Letters

The Holy See has said that they have received a ransom call for two original letters from famed artist Michelangelo that were stolen from the Vatican's archive. One document was written entirely by him, the other was signed.

The letters were stolen in 1997 and were reported missing by the archivist, Sr. Teresa Todaro, and reported by the then president of the Fabric of St. Peter and Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, Cardinal Virgilio Noé.

The Fabric of St. Peter manages all aspects of St. Peter's Basilica, including the preservation of both the building and archives that pertains to it.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, current president, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, received a phone call stating that he could receive the letters back for an undisclosed amount of money.

"Naturally, he refused since it was regarding stolen documents," Fr. Lombardi stated.

The director of the Holy See Press Office said that Vatican police have been in contact with Italian authorities to investigate further on the stolen documents.