Cloth with a blood drop of Pope John Paul II stolen from Germany cathedral

Berlin: A cloth with a drop of Pope John Paul II’s blood was stolen from Cologne Cathedral in western Germany at the weekend, police said.

“Its material value is small but the spiritual loss is much greater,” the cathedral’s provost, Gerd Bachner, was quoted in the police statement from on Sunday as saying.

Bachner urged the thieves to “come to their senses” and return the relic.

A tourist photographing a statue containing the relic of Pope John Paul II in the Cologne cathedral, western Germany. (Photo: AFP)

A visitor to cathedral noticed early on Sunday that the cloth was missing from its glass case, which was built to recall a visit by the pontiff to Cologne in November 1980.

Police released a picture of the glass with a hole smashed by the thieves.

Police assume the theft took place between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Pope John Paul II led the Catholic church from 1978 until his death in 2005.