Watch NZH Local Focus: Message to his holiness the Pope, return our teddy!

Sieska Verdonk

Meet Teddy, the special Scotland bear belongs to Room 2 at Eltham Primary School.

Most of the kids in Room 2 have never been on a plane, so when they heard their teacher was going to Europe, they asked her to take Teddy Bear too.

Teddy saw the sights, with his highlights being the Colosseum, and Tavullia - motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi's home town.

But the six and seven year olds were devastated when they were told one of the pope's guards at the Vatican had snatched their beloved teddy from their teacher's hands.

The guard, who didn't speak English, threw the bear into a nearby shed and despite attempts by other guards to translate, refused to give it back.

Kathryn Pick, the school Principal says, "The students are really upset about it. They are mostly concerned with the fact that he's been thrown into a shed, and it's cold and dark in that shed and he's alone."

Now Room 2 wants answers. The students have since written letters to the Pope to ask for Teddy's safe return to Eltham School and won't be satisfied until they have him safely home.

While it's not the first time the Vatican has been involved in a scandal, Room 2 hopes this one will be resolved soon.

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