Will the children's pleas for the return of their bear fall on deaf ears?

A stolen teddy bear has sparked a flurry of letters to the Pope from a class of school children in Taranaki.

Heather Nicholls, a primary school teacher in South Taranaki, took a resident stuffed teddy-bear with her from her classroom on a trip around Europe.

Before she left with her new travelling companion she promised her students at Eltham Primary School plenty of photos with the aptly named "Teddy", the Stratford Press reported on Tuesday.

POOL One of the guards at the Vatican City allegedly stole an Eltham teacher's Teddy bear while she was on holiday in Rome.

However, her plans to photograph her furry companion around the world were cut short when it was confiscated by a guard at the Vatican City in Rome.

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Her partner Jamie was taking a photo of her and Teddy in the city when a "Swiss guard" came and snatched the bear out of her hand, throwing it into a nearby shed where the bear presumably resides today.

Nicholls attempted, to no avail, to explain to the no-English-speaking guard that the bear was no ordinary bear and would be missed dearly by her students.

"He wouldn't even say why he had snatched him. He just made a sharp hand gesture saying no," Nicholls told the Stratford Press.

Nicholls said the hardest part was breaking the news to her class back in Eltham.

"They were really cross and sad. They know they wouldn't steal someone's teddy bear and don't understand why Teddy was taken."

However, the class has taken the matter into their own hands and have been writing multiple letters to the Vatican City's top-man - the Pope - in the hope his divine intervention will save their Teddy from imprisonment in a Swiss guardhouse.

Eltham Primary School published several of the students' letters to Pope Francis in their newsletter.

Lailarnie Leighton's letter to the Pope read; "Dear His Holiness the Pope, The Swiss Guard stole our teddy when Mrs Nicholls was in Rome. Mrs Nichollswas taking photos at the Vatican City. We are sad because our teddy got stolen. Mrs Nicholls is sad too."

While Layla Elliott wrote: "Please please bring Teddy back. Make sure you look after our school teddy. You are the best Pope ever!"