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PALERMO, Italy, Nov 28, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Art lovers in Italy want a jailed Mafia informer to help them find a Caravaggio Nativity painting stolen in 1969 and believed worth $38 million.
The painting, depicting Saints Francis and Lawrence, was stolen from the San Lorenzo oratory in Palermo, reports Britain's Guardian newspaper.
Sicilian art lovers believe Francesco Marino Mannoia, who is serving a life-in-prison term, knows where the painting may be hidden.
Mannoia, a heroin refiner whose mother, sister and aunt were killed by the Mafia after he turned a state witness, has admitted taking part in the theft, the report said. He has revealed that the painting was damaged but has never disclosed its location.
"We cannot offer him anything for this information but we are appealing to his conscience. It is something he could do for the good of Sicily," said Riccardo Agnello, head of the Palermo branch of the Italian Environment Fund.
Caravaggio completed the painting in 1609, a year before he died.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2005 by United Press International
