Drinking pope’s water is one thing; keeping his empty glass is another

At first glance, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady’s taking of Pope Francis’ water glass from the lectern after the pope’s address to a joint session of Congress seems almost amusingly brazen.

As the Philadelphia Daily News reports, while other members of Congress were swarming around the departing pope, Brady, a Philadelphia Democrat, made a beeline for the water glass from which the pope drank three times during his historic address.

With a skill honed through past experience – Brady also pilfered President Barack Obama’s glass after the president’s first inaugural address – Brady picked up the papal vessel with one finger on the rim and another on the bottom and carefully carried it back to his office.

There he drank from it, and offered sips to his wife and two staffers. U.S. Sen Bob Casey, D-Pa., and his wife joined the group, and they dipped their fingers into the water.

Brady said he poured the rest into a bottle and he will anoint his grandchildren with it.

Nota bene, Bob, the pope’s drinking from a glass does not make its contents holy water. Your actions suggest a basic misunderstanding of the various elements involved in sanctifying holy water.

All that being said, what Brady, his family, colleagues and staff do with his unconsecrated water is their own business. What Brady or members of his family do with the glass is not a private matter.

WHAT BRADY PLANS

Brady said he intends to have someone in the Philadelphia Police Department fingerprint the glass to verify its authenticity. Aside from that seeming to be a misuse of department resources, we doubt that Pope Francis’ prints are on file in Philly.

But the larger question would be: Why? Brady saw the pope drink from the glass. He grabbed it with his own fingers before anyone else could get a hold of it. He knows the origin of the glass, and that should be enough for him.

Unless … and here’s where it becomes troublesome ... he’s considering the potential future monetary value of the artifact.

It is the glass used by the pope during the first and maybe only address by a pope to a joint session of Congress. In this age of celebrity, the glass – with proper provenance, as collectors say – could have real value on the memorabilia market.

Brady may claim that he was within his rights to appropriate a few ounces of water that were abandoned by the pope, but he is not entitled to profit from it.

The House sergeant of arms, Paul D. Irving, should pay a visit to Brady’s office and request return of the glass. It could be put on display at the Capitol visitors’ center. Or turned over to the Smithsonian Institution. Or given to the Catholic Diocese of Washington, D.C.

What it shouldn’t do is go to Philadelphia with Brady – not to be fingerprinted by Philadelphia police, not to be put on display in Brady’s home or offices, and certainly not to be auctioned some day by Brady or his heirs for their personal enrichment.