900-year-old heart stolen from Irish cathedral (VIDEO)

The 900-year-old heart of 12th century Irish saint Laurence O'Toole has been stolen from a church in Dublin, Ireland, according to the Chicago Tribune. A local Roman Catholic official is pleading for the its return — "no questions asked."

St. Laurence O'Toole's heart was stolen from Christ Church Cathedral on Saturday, reported the Los Angeles Times. Local Rev. Dermot Dunne was quoted as saying the community is grieving its loss. The relic is "valueless" to others, he said, but means a lot to the cathedral and the local community.

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According to CBS News, the Irish saint's heart had been on display in the cathedral since the 13th century. It was kept in a heart-shaped wooden box and was then locked inside a small, square iron cage that was mounted on the wall of a chapel dedicted to his memory. Someone cut through two of those bars and pried the cage open in order to steal the relic on Saturday.

There are security cameras covering the cathedral welcome desk, reported CNN, but none are installed in the interior of the chapel where the heart was kept. The police also told CNN that there was no sign of a break-in and, although other valuables were present in the chapel at the time of the theft, nothing else was taken.

The Los Angeles Times said Dublin church officials are holding out hope that the saint's heart will be found.