Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) scored a souvenir from Pope Francis’s congressional address on Thursday.
During the commotion following the pontiff’s remarks, the Pennsylvania lawmaker sneaked up to the lectern and swiped the pope’s water glass.
“Anything the pope touches becomes blessed,” Brady told The Washington Post. “I think so and no one is going to change my mind.”
Brady took the half-full glass back to his office, where he, his wife, and two staffers took turns taking sips.
He later invited Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and his family to dip their fingers in the water.
Brady said he has emptied the water into a bottle and plans to use it to bless his grandchildren.
This is not the first heist that the congressman has pulled off. Brady also took the glass from President Obama’s first inaugural address.
After reimbursing Capitol Hill property for the cost of the tumbler, he said he plans to keep the pope’s glass in a cabinet at home, next to Obama’s.