PADUA, Italy, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- A woman stole a Padua, Italy, church's Christmas offerings after hypnotizing a 71-year-old priest, police said.

The woman, described as a Roma, or gypsy, about 35, made off with 1,800 euros ($2,736) collected by Padua's Santa Giustina abbey during the Christmas period, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Friday, adding she entered the cloister area of the church where the presence of women is forbidden.


The priest learned of the theft and alerted police after he came out of the hypnosis-induced trance, ANSA said.