The Veneration of Relics

The Veneration of Relics

From No Other Foundation by Fr. Lawrence R. Farley, and Ancient Faith Ministries

January 28, 2026

About this episode

The episode discusses the Protestant perspective on the veneration of relics, particularly in relation to saints.

In my experience it’s a safe bet that most Protestants are not enthused about the veneration of relics— i.e. bits of a saint’s bone or bits of things they once used, such as pieces of their clothing (these are called “secondary relics”). That would apply even to Protestant “saints”: if I came to a Lutheran carrying a fragment of Martin Luther’s shinbone in a fancy reliquary box and asked him if he would like to venerate it, he would probably take a pass and reply, “Thanks anyway.” If I came to a Calvinist with a similar fragment of Calvin’s shinbone in a reliquary and made the same offer, he would probably knock the box from my hand with a stern Genevan rebuke.

People in this episode

Host: Fr. Lawrence R. Farley

Topics covered

  • veneration of relics
  • Protestant views
  • Christian saints
  • secondary relics
  • religious practices

Keywords

  • relics
  • Protestantism
  • veneration
  • saints
  • Christianity
  • Luther
  • Calvin

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lutheran, Calvinist

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