And they could still be there, according to a paper published recently by Italian researchers.

The claims were made in "The Search of St Peter's Memory ad catacumbas in the Cemeterial Area ad Duos Lauros in Rome," published in early March in the journal ‘Heritage'.

Labelling their conclusions as "conjecture," the researchers suggested archaeologists could "validate" their findings with "excavation campaigns".

However, a leading expert in Christian archaeology and a member of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology told Vatican News that the researchers' hypothesis was "unacceptable."

Emperor Constantine would never have gone through so much logistical trouble building St Peter's Basilica in the early fourth century "if it had not been contingent upon the presence of the venerated remains" below, where the saint's tomb had been venerated since early Christian times, Vincenzo Fiocchi Nicolai told Vatican News May 30.

"It is clear," he said, "that St Peter's remains were found in the place of the original burial site on the Vatican hill when the formidable Constantinian basilica was built. It is the biggest basilica ever established in the city," he said.

He added that if later the remains had been moved "ad catacumbasto," then that refers to a cemetery on the Appian Way, later called, the catacombs of St Sebastian.

The researchers highlighted the lengthy quest by archaeologists to prove where St Peter had been buried but added that the debate was still open as to where his remains could be found.

"The most accepted opinion is that St Peter's remains were moved in one of the Roman catacombs," they wrote.

They added that "archaeological evidence seems to exclude" the common hypothesis that St Peter's remains were kept "for a certain period" in the catacombs on Via Appia.

St Paul VI announced in 1968 that the "relics" of St Peter had been "identified in a way which we can hold to be convincing".

This came after bones were discovered following excavations of the necropolis under St Peter's Basilica, near a monument erected in the fourth century to honour St Peter.

The pope had cases of the relics placed beneath the basilica's main altar and in his private chapel in the Apostolic Palace.

According to Vatican News, scientists have confirmed the remains are those of a 60 - 70-year-old robust male.

Sources

• America Magazine

"For us, this was an extraordinary and unexpected event that we could not have hoped for," said Archbishop Job of Telmessos who received the relics on Bartholomew's behalf.

Job had been at the Vatican for the 29 June Sts Peter and Paul feast day celebrations.

After the celebratory Mass, Francis and Job went down to St Peter's tomb under the high altar to pray.

Job said after they had prayed, Francis told him he had a gift for his brother Patriarch Bartholomew.

He then drove Job to the Apostolic Palace, took a bronze reliquary containing nine fragments of St Peter's bones that Pope St Paul VI had placed in the Palace's little chapel and offered it to Job.

The bone fragments were discovered during excavations of the necropolis under St Peter's Basilica that began in the 1940s.

While no pope has ever declared the bones to be authentic, St Paul VI in 1968 said the "relics" of St Peter had been "identified in a way which we can hold to be convincing".

The only time the bronze reliquary has been displayed publicly was in November 2013, when Francis had it present for public veneration as he celebrated the closing Mass for the Year of Faith.

Job says he phoned Patriarch Bartholomew as soon as he could to tell him about the gift.

It was "another gigantic step toward concrete unity," Job said.

At a ceremony last week to receive the relics and venerate them, Bartholomew said, "Pope Francis made this grand, fraternal and historic gesture" of giving the Orthodox fragments of the relics of St Peter.

"I was deeply moved. It was a brave and bold initiative of Pope Francis."

Source

• America Magazine
• Crux Now
• Image: Crux Now