This is a swathe of cloth from a stocking belonging to John Paul I when he was Cardinal Albino Luciani.

He was the Pope for thirty-three days in 1978, the shortest reigning Pope in recent history.

In 2001 Father Kunst and his father went to northern Italy, to an area called Belluno where Pope John Paul I lived. They visited his family, in particular, his niece, Pia Luciani, and his brother, Eduardo, and his sister-in-law. They spent the day with them visiting the home where the Pope was born.

It was a great day. Father Kunst asked for a memento of the Pope’s and Eduardo produced the sock, cutting it and taping it to a little index card.

He wrote in Italian that it was a gift from him and that the Pope had worn it when he was a Cardinal.

Eduardo signed it as well.