ROME — The first-ever scientific tests on what are believed to be the remains of the Apostle Paul seem to confirm that they do indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint, Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday.
Archaeologists recently unearthed and opened the white marble sarcophagus under the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome, which for some 2,000 years has been believed by the faithful to be the tomb of St. Paul.
Benedict said scientists had conducted carbon-dating tests on bone fragments found inside the sarcophagus and confirmed that they date from the first or second century.
“This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul,” Benedict said, announcing the findings at a service in the basilica.
Paul and Peter are the two main figures known for spreading the Christian faith after the death of Jesus Christ.
