Vatican: 100,000 Euro Ransom Sought for Stolen Michelangelo Items

Vocabulary 

Direction: Read each word and let the student repeat it.
ransom
[ˈrænsəm] (noun)
– money that is paid to somebody so that they will set free a person who is being kept as a prisoner by them
ex.The kidnappers requested a ransom of $1 million to release the hostages.

design
[dɪˈzaɪn] (verb)
– to plan, make or build something for a specific use or purpose
ex.He is part of the team that designed the new Ferrari.

spokesman
[ˈspoʊksmən] (noun)
– a person who speaks on behalf of a group or an organization
ex.A police spokesman attended the press conference

counterpart
[ˈkaʊntərpɑːrt] (noun)
– a person or thing that has the same position or function as somebody/something else in a different place or situation
ex.The Foreign Minister held talks with his Chinese counterpart.

upkeep
[ˈʌpkiːp] (noun)
– the cost or process of keeping something in good condition
ex.You are responsible for the upkeep of your house.

Article 

Direction: Read each paragraph and let the student repeat it.

Vatican: 100,000 Euro Ransom Sought for Stolen Michelangelo Items

The Vatican said on Sunday it had received a ransom demand for the return of two rare documents written by Renaissance master Michelangelo that were stolen from its archives nearly 20 years ago.

The theft of the two documents — one a letter including the signature of the artist who painted the Sistine Chapel, designed part of St. Peter’s Basilica and sculpted statues such as David and the Pieta — had not been made public before Sunday.

Following a report by the Rome newspaper Il Messaggero on Sunday, spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said a cardinal in charge of St. Peter’s Basilica had been contacted recently by a person who offered to get the documents back for what Lombardi called “a certain price.”

Il Messaggero said the person, described as a former Vatican employee, had asked for 100,000 euros.

Lombardi said the cardinal “naturally refused because these are stolen documents.”

Nun alerted officials

The spokesman said a nun who worked in the Vatican archives informed officials back in 1997 that the documents had gone missing. He did not say why the Vatican had not disclosed the theft before.

While the newspaper spoke of only one letter signed by Michelangelo, who lived from 1475 to 1564, the spokesman said two documents had gone missing.

He added that Vatican police were now investigating the case together with their Italian counterparts.

Neither the spokesman nor the newspaper disclosed any details of the documents, which were taken from the archives of the Vatican department that looks after the upkeep of the basilica, known as the Fabbrica di San Pietro.

They contain numerous documents concerning the history, design and construction of the largest church in Christendom. It took more than 100 years to build and was completed in 1626.

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Questions 

Direction: Ask the students the questions, and give the answers.

1What objects have been stolen?

“Two rare documents written by Renaissance master Michelangelo”.

2Who stole the documents?

“A former Vatican employee”.

3When was the theft reported?

“In 1997”.

4Where were the documents taken from?

“The archives of the Vatican department that looks after the upkeep of the basilica”.

5What kind of information do they contain?

“They contain numerous documents concerning the history, design and construction of the largest church in Christendom.”

Discussion 

Direction: Discuss the topics.

1Do you think the thief will receive the money? Why or why not?

Follow-up question1: Do you think the thief is desperate for money or just wants to get rich?
Follow-up question2: Do you think the thief will get caught? Why or why not?
Follow-up question3: Why are these documents important?

2Do you know anything about Michelangelo?

Follow-up question1: Who is your favorite artist? Why?
Follow-up question2: Would you like to visit the Vatican? Why or why not?
Follow-up question3: Do you think that the Vatican is too rich? Why or why not?

3Do you enjoy visiting museums? Why or why not?

Follow-up question1: What was the best museum that you have ever visited? What did you like about it?
Follow-up question2: Do you think only children can enjoy museums?
Follow-up question3: In what ways have museums changed since you were a child?

Quoted from

http://www.voanews.com/content/vatican-100000-euro-ransom-sought-for-stolen-michelangelo-items/2672863.html