MADISONVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Catholic officials in East Tennessee say the Vatican is studying a painting stolen from the closet of a mobile home to see if it is a rare, historic face of Jesus artwork.
The Rev. David A. Boettner of the Diocese of Knoxville said Friday he expects to find out, possibly next week, if the painting bears an “authentic” seal of Pope Leo XIII from the late 19th century.
An East Tennessee man reported the painting stolen.
Monroe County Detective Mike Morgan said Friday that Kelly Maria Ghormley was arrested after contacting employees at the St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Madisonville and offering to sell what she described to them as an “extremely valuable” painting.
Ghormley remains in custody. Records do not show if she has an attorney.
The painting is religiously linked to a cloth bearing the image of Jesus’ face.
Morgan said a church employee called him when they were contacted about the painting and they agreed to offer the seller $3,000. They did and when the seller arrived at the church with it on Monday she was arrested.
Morgan said Forrest Moses owns the painting. Morgan’s incident report says Moses told him it was stolen from a bedroom closet in his mobile home sometime between July 28 and July 30. The detective said Moses and Ghormley, 30, are acquaintances.
The report says the owner’s photocopy of the painting shows the “face of Jesus Christ with blood tears running down both cheeks.”
The report also says the bottom of the photocopy has what appears to be a Latin phrase: “Vera Effigies Sacri Vultus Domini Nostri Jesu Christi,” which translates to “True Image of the face of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Boettner said he does not know how many of the authentic paintings exist. He said the religious value, not market value, is what’s important.
“It is an image of the face of Jesus,” he said.
Ghormley is being held on a charge of theft of property valued at $60,000 and up.
Moses, 73, said Friday that he plans to retain ownership of the painting, which he said he now realizes is probably “worth a bundle.”
He said it has sentimental value and was given to him years ago by a 99-year-old man. Moses said he worked for years running a body shop.
Moses said he is not Catholic. He has no plans to sell the painting but considers that an option.
“I didn’t really know what I had,” he said. “I knew it was important to me because I had kept it. I had had it hanging on the wall at times.”
Moses described Ghormley as an acquaintance and said she has two young daughters.
“She wants me to come to court Tuesday,” Moses said. “I told her if you promise me a lot of stuff and go and get yourself in rehabilitation and do what I ask you to do, I’ll consider dropping it.”
Moses said Ghormley told him that she took the painting.
“I’m not the judge. Jesus is,” he said. “I got my painting back and there’s two little girls out there.”
