Group wants eBay to enforce ban that would prohibit sale of relics

Published: 2006-11-07

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A California group is advocating a boycott of eBay unless the online auction house enforces its own rules against selling body parts to prohibit the sale of saints' relics. "They've had opportunities to stop the sales, and they don't even enforce their own regulations," said Tom Serafin, founder and president of the International Crusade for Holy Relics. According to Serafin, even a "cursory search" of the popular site will turn up dozens of relics "often purporting to be the bones of saints" for sale. Catherine England, an eBay spokeswoman, told the Florida Catholic, newspaper for six Florida dioceses, Nov. 6 that the auction site is aware of the organized boycott and that officials from eBay have had conversations with representatives from the International Crusade for Holy Relics in the past, but not recently and so were surprised at the boycott call. England said eBay does enforce its policies against selling certain human body parts such as bones and organs, but that other items that are legal to buy and sell in the United States are allowed to be sold on the site.

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