Pope Francis' Skullcap to be Auctioned for Israeli Charity

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The most desired religious item at the moment is up for auction today: the internationally known white calotte ("cap") worn by the Pope. Save a Child's Heart announces that Catawiki, the online auction house, will host the auction. Catawiki expects enormous interest in this item and predicts that the calotte will bring in around $36,000. A large
portion of the revenue will be donated to the Israeli nonprofit charity – Save a Child's Heart.

In 2014, in Saint Peter's Square, Pope Francis traded his distinctive white calotte with a man in the crowd for an identical copy. The man provided the pope with a white calotte as a trade. Pope Francis accepted the offer and placed the traded cap directly on his head. The trade was recorded by TV cameras and was broadcast across the whole world. Now the person who received the calotte from the Pope wants to do something good with it and will donate a large portion of the auction revenue to Save a Child's Heart.

According to auctioneer Frederik Jamees, devotionalia expert at Catawiki, it is unusual for an article of the pope's clothing to be offered for sale. "The Pope's clothing is made special for him and after his death, the articles of clothing automatically become relics, meaning that they are no longer allowed to be sold. Since the middle ages, the Catholic Church has prohibited the trade of relics. A deceased Pope's clothing must therefore never be sold. This auction is a unique opportunity for museums, for example, to acquire a "relic in the making". Items used or touched by the pope are highly desired all over the world and I expect to see bids coming in from across the world for this calotte," according to auctioneer Jamees.

Save a Child's Heart (SACH) is an Israeli-based international, non-profit organization known worldwide for its commitment to saving lives by improving the quality of cardiac care for children from developing countries and creating centers of medical competence in these countries. Save a Child's Heart provides life-saving cardiac surgery and other lifesaving procedures at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel. To date, SACH has saved the lives of 4,000 children from 50 developing countries and trained more than 100 medical personnel from these countries. By mending hearts, regardless of race, religion, gender, nationality, or financial status, Save a Child's Heart contributes to a more peaceful and productive world; a happier, healthier world, and a better world for all children, and their families.

Link to the online auction - http://www.catawiki.com/skullcap

For more information about the auction – Mark Borgman, Email, +31 6 55847934 -

For more information about Save a Child's Heart – David Litwack, Email, 240-223-3940

SOURCE Save a Child's Heart Foundation