NATION NOW

Congressman swipes pope's water glass

Michael Harthorne

Newser

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, D-Pa., drinks from a glass of water that Pope Francis used during his speech to Congress, while standing in Brady's Washington office. As Pope Francis left the chamber Thursday, Brady, who is Roman Catholic, headed to the lectern to retrieve the pontiff's drinking glass.

As Pope Francis left the chamber after addressing Congress yesterday, legislators crowded around him, hoping to get a moment with the leader of the Catholic Church. But one man wasn't among them. That's because Rep. Bob Brady of Philadelphia was too busy swiping the pope's water glass, the Philadelphia Daily News reports. Brady was spotted carefully using two fingers to lift the pope's glass from the podium and carry it back to his office, where he, his wife, and two staffers sipped from it. "How many people do you know that drank out of the same glass as the pope?" Brady asks the Daily News.

After letting another congressman and his family dip their fingers in the glass, Brady put the remaining water into a bottle to use to bless his grandchildren later. "The congressman is a Catholic and has immense respect for the Holy Father,” his chief of staff tells ABC News. If the phrase "thou shalt not steal" is running through your head, don't worry: Brady tells the Washington Post he's asked the appropriate House officials for a bill so he can pay for the glass. It will eventually go in a cabinet in his home—next to the water glass used by President Obama at his 2008 inauguration. He swiped that one, too. (The pope's tiny car is making a big impression.)