The Manhattan District Attorney's Office returned 17 stolen antiquities and rare books, valued at over $1.5 million, to Italy and the Vatican in a restitution ceremony. The items include six rare 16th–17th century Chinese-language Jesuit books stolen from the Vatican Archives and other artifacts seized from institutions like the Morgan Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This restitution highlights the ongoing, high-impact work of the D.A.'s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, which has recovered thousands of objects worth hundreds of millions since 2017. The return of these culturally significant items, particularly the Jesuit texts which represent a pivotal moment in East-West intellectual exchange, underscores the global effort to combat illicit antiquities trafficking and rectify historical thefts from museums and archives.