WASHINGTON — A Pennsylvania Congressman is raising eyebrows after he snatched the half-full water glass of the Roman Catholic pontiff known as Francis following his speech before Congress, and then sipped from it out of his belief that the water was now “blessed” because the pope touched it.
“Anything the pope touches becomes blessed,” Pennsylvania Rep. Bob Brady (D-Philadelphia) told The Washington Post. “I think so and no one is going to change my mind.”
According to reports, after the pontiff left the Congressional chamber following the conclusion of his speech on Thursday, Brady walked to the lectern and took Francis’ glass, which he noted had been drank from three times during his address to Congress.
Brady then carried the glass back to his office, where he took a sip from it. He then offered a drink to his wife Deborah and two staffers, who also took photos of the occasion.
The Congressman then called Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey (D) and told him that he had the glass. Casey brought along his wife and mother, and the three dipped their fingers in the remaining water.
Brady told the Philadelphia Daily News that he poured the remaining water into a bottle and plans on using it to “bless” his grandchildren.
He said that he put the glass into a paper bag and will give it to police so that they can dust it for fingerprints to ensure its authenticity before he takes it home to display next to an Obama glass he took during the 2009 inauguration.
As far as the pontiff’s glass being stolen, Brady advised that he contacted the House Architect and offered to send a check to pay for the item.
Reports of the incident have raised eyebrows, with some calling Brady’s actions “creepy” and “weird.”
“Kinda creepy actually,” wrote one commenter on Twitter.
“From the department of weird and shameless,” another remarked.