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towel

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Two white towels that Pope Benedict XVI dried his hands on are placed in the museum's washrooms. Inside the washrooms, there is no information on the towels' special origin. The public can only find out through floor plans, museum leaflets or the like. 

People often worship things that have been touched by "the holy", by a Saint, or come from a holy place. Apparently holiness is thought to be transmitted by physical contact, transforming an arbitrary object into a mighty relic. Is it a real quality or the power of belief that imbues an ordinary thing with holy powers? And how do you measure holiness - by the object's effect on the worshippers?