In the December 4, 2025, broadcast of EWTN's "The World Over," host Raymond Arroyo reportedly claimed that Pope Leo XIV had requested the return of the relics of St. Peter—specifically, the bone fragments gifted by Pope Francis to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in 2019.
According to the alleged statement by Arroyo, the new pontiff wanted these relics placed in his papal palace. However, no verifiable record of this claim exists in episode summaries, available descriptions, or detailed overviews from EWTN's own platforms, YouTube uploads, or Vatican-related news outlets.
The episode focused primarily on Pope Leo's recent apostolic trip to Lebanon and Turkey, discussions with the Papal Posse (Robert Royal and Fr. Gerald Murray), violence in Nigeria, and jihadism, with no mentions of St. Peter's relics in any documented content. Broader searches across news sources and social media yield no independent reporting or corroboration of this assertion beyond isolated, unverified user mentions.
Is Pope Leo XIV an "Indian giver"—a term implying someone who gives a gift only to demand it back—there is no factual basis to suggest he is. Without evidence that he ever requested the relics' return, the characterization doesn't apply. His public actions and statements since his election in May 2025 have emphasized ecumenical dialogue and unity with the Orthodox Church, including joint veneration of the relics during events like the November 30, 2025, feast of St. Andrew in Constantinople.There is no credible evidence that Pope Leo XIV asked for the relics of St. Peter to be returned. It seemed Arroyo made it up or was confused.
Pope Leo XIV (elected May 8, 2025, as the first American-born pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost) has participated in events involving the relics of St. Peter, such as venerating them alongside Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (e.g., on November 30, 2025, where they kissed the reliquary containing bone fragments). He has also prayed at the shrine holding St. Peter's relics before his inaugural Mass and during other ceremonies.
The relics in question refer to specific bone fragments (nine small pieces from the Vatican necropolis discoveries, placed in a bronze reliquary by Pope Paul VI in 1968). These were gifted by Pope Francis in 2019 to Patriarch Bartholomew as an ecumenical gesture toward the Orthodox Church in Constantinople (where tradition holds St. Andrew's relics).
As stated, searches across news sources, Vatican reports, and social media discussions (including claims from December 2025 referencing EWTN's "The World Over") show no verified reports of Pope Leo XIV requesting their return. One unconfirmed mention appeared in a user's post citing a TV segment, but it lacks corroboration from official Vatican channels, major Catholic media (e.g., Vatican News, EWTN articles, Catholic News Agency), or broader reporting as of today.
Pope Leo XIV's actions emphasize unity and dialogue (including with the Orthodox), and he has venerated these same relics in joint settings without any reported demands for repatriation. The main relics of St. Peter remain under the high altar in St. Peter's Basilica.
We asked Raymond Arroyo on his X account for a source and never got a reply. No one else engaged our post either.
@RaymondArroyo what is your source that Pope Leo XIV wants the relics returned? https://t.co/iqjdHwpJQi
— ☧✝️Sacerdotus™⚛✡🇻🇦☧ (@Sacerdotus) December 5, 2025
Here is a trimmed video where Raymond Arroyo makes the comments 9 minutes into the episode until 10:20 minutes.
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