The relics of Blessed Pope John Paul II will be taken to Kyiv on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his visit to Ukraine, the Komsomolskaya Pravda in Ukraine newspaper writes on its Web site.
"There are relics of various kinds. It's not an embalmed body. Pope John Paul II was buried after his death. But his hair and headwear will be taken to Ukraine, which are deemed to be sacred like his blood kept in Catholic churches in some European countries," the Catholic media center told the newspaper.
A festive service will be conducted at the St. Alexander Cathedral at 1800 on June 23. Catholics will also hold a 40-hour mass in gratitude of the Pope's arrival in Kyiv.
The pontiff's relics will be carried along the streets of Kyiv in a procession on June 26.
John Paul II arrived in Ukraine on a five-day visit in June 2001. He visited Kyiv and Lviv.