Argentina returns Roman Missal stolen in Sintra to Portugal

Argentina has returned to Portugal a valuable copy of the Missale Romanum, from 1727, stolen from the National Palace of Sintra in 1997 and recovered by the Argentine Federal Police in 2021, in an example of international cooperation between the two countries.

"It is a great personal satisfaction to be able to return to Portugal, on behalf of the Argentine Republic and the Federal Police, a piece of Portuguese identity, because cultural assets create the identity of peoples. This restitution is also a celebration that strengthens ties between the two nations," Deputy Commissioner Gerardo Damián Vogel, of the Cultural Heritage Protection Department Sector, of the International Cooperation Directorate of the Argentine Federal Police, told Lusa at the ceremony.

The restitution took place on Friday at the Portuguese Embassy in Argentina, after Argentina announced on August 4 the return of 200 heritage pieces belonging to Peru, Mexico, Paraguay and Portugal.

The valuable 'Missale Romanum ex Decreto Sacrosancti S. Pii V Pontificis Maximi' is a 1727 edition of the Roman Missal [pictured, a 1651 copy], printed in Venice by 'Typographia Balleoniana', drawn up following the guidelines of the Council of Trent, convened by Pope Pius V.

It was recognized by Popes Clement VIII and Urban VIII.

In 2021, the Argentine Customs Department at Buenos Aires International Airport detected the international shipment of a historical document.

Suspecting an illegal movement, Argentine authorities launched an investigation that included a search and seizure operation at a commercial establishment dedicated to the purchase and sale of books and documents.

In this operation by the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Argentine Federal Police, 300 items that were in the Interpol database were seized.

The Roman Missal appeared to have been stolen from the National Palace of Sintra in 1997.

"From then on, Argentina informed us of what it had recovered and we organized the formal return of the object," Portuguese ambassador Gonçalo Teles Gomes, who is now responsible for the piece until it is sent to Portugal, explained to Lusa.

"We are now working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parques de Sintra, the institution that oversees the monuments of Sintra, to determine the best way to protect the missal so it can be sent, with the necessary insurance, by diplomatic pouch to Portugal," the ambassador said.

Lusa found on site that the missal was not even removed from its original box, and was taken, immediately after delivery to the ambassador's office, to the next room, where experts were waiting for it to be properly handled and its condition assessed for possible restoration before being returned to Portugal.

When Deputy Commissioner Gerardo Vogel handed over the liturgical book to Ambassador Teles Gomes, the two countries highlighted the value of international cooperation in preserving cultural heritage.

"From now on, this object gains even more historical value because Argentina is now a part of it. It's an honor and a joy to be able to recover this piece because it's like recovering part of our identity. International cooperation is essential for the restoration of heritage. This return is a sign of mutual respect for history," concluded an emotional Teles Gomes.

Trafficking in cultural property is the fourth most common crime in the international illicit trade. In the last four years, Argentina has returned more pieces than any other country in the world in the last 15 years.

More than 4,500 archaeological pieces were returned to Peru alone.

"According to statistics from the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France, Argentina's Cultural Heritage Protection Department is the most highly qualified unit in the Americas. We have already recovered more than 48,000 items and returned approximately 5,000 to their respective countries," Deputy Commissioner Gerardo Vogel boasts.

After leaving the Portuguese Embassy, ​​Vogel went to the Institute of Anthropology and Latin American Thought in Argentina to return 45 Egyptian mummies dating back more than 3,000 years.

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