A cloth with a drop of the late Pope John Paul II’s blood has been stolen from Cologne Cathedral, German police have said.

Police said a visitor had noticed that the relic was missing on Sunday morning and had alerted a church official. The relic was held in a glass container at the base of a statue of John Paul II, who was leader of the Catholic church from 1978 until his death in 2005.

Police said the container had been prised from the sculpture’s base overnight on Saturday.

“Although the material value is low, the spiritual value is a lot bigger,” the cathedral’s provost, Gerd Bachner, said in the police statement, urging the thief to return the relic.