A Congressman Stole a Glass of Water from the Pope and Drank From It

"How many people do you know that drank out of the same glass as the pope?" http://t.co/5NdfzSVEuo pic.twitter.com/VWWHuR0FR9
— Philly.com (@phillydotcom) September 25, 2015

Pope Francis's visit to the United States has not been unlike the world's biggest pop star going on tour (and not just because of this morning's announcement that the Vatican is set to release a rock album featuring the Pope on lead vocals). Everywhere he goes, people try to capture a little of the Pope's essence—including a politician who took and drank from the Pope's own water glass.

According to Philadelphia Daily News, after the Pope finished giving a speech to Congress on Thursday, US Representative Bob Brady, a Democrat from Philadelphia, approached the lectern and took the glass of water that the Pope had reportedly sipped from "at least three times."

Brady, who is Catholic, then took the used glass back to his office, where he—along with his wife, Debra, and two other staffers—proceeded to take a sip from it, while taking pictures to memorialize the holy occasion.

Rep. Bob Brady drinks from Pope Francis' water glass and shares it with his staff: http://t.co/72dtuZy6gm pic.twitter.com/gb5yV06Fr1
— ABC News (@ABC) September 25, 2015

He then invited Senator Bob Casey, another Catholic Democrat from Philadelphia, who brought his mother and his wife to the office to dip their fingers into the glass. Brady is said to have poured the rest of the water into a bottle so that he could use it to bless his four grandchildren.

The glass, which is now being stored in a brown paper bag, will be given to Philadelphia police to "dust for fingerprints to prove its authenticity."

When questioned about the situation, Brady answered with a rhetorical question: "How many people do you know that drank out of the same glass as the Pope?"

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