St. Thomas Aquinas’ Relic (his skull!) Carried in Procession for 750th Anniversary of His Death; The medieval philosopher and theologian widely considered one of the greatest thinkers in Western civilization died on March 7, 1274.

National Catholic Register ^ | March 7, 2024 | Courtney Mares

[Cold_Red_Steel]

I’m going to curse anyone who digs me up and parades me around.

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I want my skull held up on a stick so I can see everything!

[StAnDeliver]

"It's more than a little grotesque. They should be resting in peace in their proper place, not paraded about.

I'm not anti-Catholic but this kind of thing really mystifies me."

Mostly an Italian thing. Keep in mind the Papal States at one point was a state of conquest, a mid-Italy kingdom. Ceremonies like this kept the people reminded of what they were fighting for ie, don't let Aquinas fall into the hands of the barbarians. Priverno was a fairly important 'southern' city in the Papal states.

[Texas_Guy]

That’s bilocation. It’s a documented miracle that some saints are granted.

As for relics here is why they are important:

https://www.catholic.com/qa/is-veneration-of-relics-condemned-by-the-bible

[Bayard]

Catholics have a strong understanding of sacraments and sacramentals. When a person has been baptized we believe that person is a living temple of the Holy Spirit. Ergo, the remains of such individuals are consecrated and therefore the remains of a holy person. We don’t believe in a kind of duelistic mindset as if spirit and body are distinctly complete in themselves.

A Saint is especially venerated as holy, since even though their spirit exists in heaven, they are still also present in their remains. Hence what is venerated is not a shell but the corrupted elements which will become the resurrected saint one day.

[ealgeone]

They believe these dead bones can heal people.