If you’ve seen the back of a St. Benedict medal, you may have noticed a series of letters. The first set is arranged in and around the shape of the cross: C S P B C S S M L N D S M D.

Pope Benedict XVI bequeathed a pectoral cross to St. Oswald’s Church in the city of Traunstein in Bavaria after his retirement in 2013. The cross was stolen June 19, 2023, from the church.

BOOK PICK: Do we know why an Orthodox cross looks a bit different, or what the St. Peter, St. Benedict and St. Brigid crosses are? Clockwise from upper right: anointing of the sick crucifix ...

Pope Benedict XVI bequeathed a pectoral cross to St. Oswald’s Church in the city of Traunstein in Bavaria after his retirement in 2013. The cross was stolen June 19, 2023, from the church.

"The ring is marked with a cross ... for Benedict ring was inspired by a Michelangelo painting. The final concept required more than 200 sketches and colored drawings. It depicts St. Peter ...

According to police, the pectoral cross was in a case in the wall of St. Oswald’s church in Traunstein, in the state of Bavaria, where the late Benedict spent his adolescent years. Thieves broke ...