You may have read in your diocesan newspaper that the International Crusade for Holy Relics has asked Catholics to boycott e-Bay, which has allowed the sale of holy relics, including body parts.

The Washington Post has more.

I did not find any bones, hair or teeth of saints for sale when I checked e-bay, though ICHR says these have appeared.

But when I searched, I discovered I could get get several pieces of the True Cross for under $500, and a reliquary with a Holy Nail. One seller noted that the relic is FREE; he's only charging for the reliquary.

Some of these relics come with authentication. The Holy Nail is actually a facsimile, reportedly rubbed against a REAL Holy Nail, and thus accruing some of its holy particles.

It's all a sordid business, and ICHR is right to make an issue of it.

But relics have been part of Catholic devotion for centuries. I could not begin to count the number of rosaries I have been offered via direct mail that purport to contain water from Lourdes.

And for centuries Catholics have known that these things could be faked and traded for monetary gain. (True story: My husband's grandfather used to dig up sand in his back yard and sell it in his tailor shop as dirt from the Holy Land. He also got kicked out of Catholic school for spitting on a nun.)

Geoffrey Chaucer's Pardoner, after a couple snorts of ale, revealed to his fellow pilgrims the fake relics in his bag, the fake certificates of authentication and licences to pardon, and the fake Latin he used to spice up his patter.

Some Latin that anybody buying relics off stray Pardoners on e-Bay might want to remember: Caveat emptor.