Claimed skulls of  St. John Chrysostom is located in the Cathedral in Florence, in a Roman Catholic shrine in Pisa, in Moscow and on Mount Athos in Greece.

 

The Russian version of the skull of the “saint” arrived in New York for veneration 6th of February 2010.

John Chrysostom (347–407.AD) was Archbishop of Constantinople, and considered an important Early Church Father.

He is recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church.

It is worth noticing that the Roman Catholic Church has admitted that they stole the remains of the Byzantine priest, and took it to Rome. The present Pope returned the stolen bones, explained by wikipedia.

Most of John’s relics were looted from Constantinople by Crusaders in 1204 and taken to Rome, but some of his bones were returned to the Orthodox on 27 November 2004 by Pope John Paul II.

The battle for the corpse, skull and bones of this archbishop is more grotesque than this example of priests becoming robbers. There are four Churches who claim to have the skull of the same “saint”. One in Russia, one in Greece and not less than two Roman Catholic Churches in Italy.

Wikipedia:

The skull was kept at the Moscow Kremlin, in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, until 1920, when it was confiscated by the Soviets and placed in the Museum of Silver Antiquities.

In 1988, in connection with the 1000th Anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, the Head, together with other important relics, was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church and kept at the Epiphany Cathedral, until being moved to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour after its restoration.

However, today, the Vatopedi Monastery posits a rival claim to possession of the skull of St. John Chrysostom, and there a skull is venerated by pilgrims to the monastery as that of St John.

Two places in Italy also claim to have the skull of St. John Chrysostom: the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and the Dal Pozzo chapel in Pisa.

Source: Wikipedia

Lets take a look at the other three claimed version of the skull of this man who died more than 1.600 years ago:

The claimed skull of Chrysostom is kept for adoration  inside the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Florence in Italy.

The Greek version of the skull. There is an open door to “the ear”, so the faithful Greek Orthodox can pray.

Exodus 20:5
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.

second pic

The second Italian version of the skull, is located in a Roman Catholic shrine in Pisa.

 Deuteronomy 4:28
There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

golden box pic

The Russians at least do not scare the children, but put their skulls in proper golden boxes.

The box with the Russian skull has a top opening. It looks like the surface of the planet Mars.

A major Roman Catholic news agency has reported “miracles’ from one of these skulls. Remarkably not with the two versions found in Roman Catholic shrines.

Two miraculous cures have been reported in Cyprus as a result of contact with the skull of St. John Chrysostom, according to the Associated Press. Father Paraskevas Agathonos claimed the visiting relic, which normally resides in a monastery in northern Greece, had healed a partially paralyzed teenager and a woman with a broken leg.

Source: Catholic News Agency  (CNA)

The Christian New Testament  —  Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

The Russians are thrilled that their “holy head” paid New York City a visit in February 2010:

The sacred head will not be touring America, but will remain at Synod until the final day of its stay, when it will be taken to St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Russian Patriarchal Cathedral a few blocks away.

The head of St. John Chrysostom is being sent to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign, in New York City, from the Church of Christ the Saviour, in Moscow, for a week, early in February. (2010, February 26).

Source: Monachos.net

It is difficult to phantom that the Vatican can “bless” two different skulls of the same man, and both of them being located in Roman Catholic “shrines” in Italy.