Beloved statue stolen from Padre Pio shrine

For more than a decade, The Angel of Roses watched over pilgrims who visited the National Padre Pio Centre in Berks County.

The Angel, an 8-foot statue cast of solid bronze, has been housed at the Barto, Pa. shrine since 1998, before the Italian friar was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint.

This morning, staffers were shocked to discover all 1,200 pounds of the Angel were gone. They fear it has been sold for scrap. Metal recyclers will pay up to $2 a pound for bronze.

"We love her and we miss her," said Christina Rocus, who works at the Centre. "We want her back home."

The statue was a focal point for many on the Centre's bucolic grounds just south of Allentown.

"So many people who came here, came to sit before her and pray," Rocus said.

The statue originally was cast in the 1930s in Brazil and was displayed in the Hall of Justice in Sao Paolo. The Centre bought the Angel in 1998 at auction for $25,000. Its current value as a piece of art is about $60,000. As scrap, its worth $2,500.

State troopers believe a truck backed up to the Angel late last night and yanked it from its pedestal with chains.

Detectives were analyzing tire treads left at the scene. Troopers have begun to notify scrap dealers about the theft, said a state police spokesman.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police at 610-378-4011, Ext. 3.