Papal zucchetto will be family heirloom, says man who traded skullcaps with Pope

It was definitely not just another day at the office for Mark Erick Lim.

When the executive officer for operations of Sky Logistics met Pope Francis, he ended up with the pontiff's headgear—an item that he says will end up being a treasured family heirloom.

Sky Logistics is the ground handler for Philippine Airlines, which flew the Holy Father to Tacloban City and back to Manila.

At Villamor Air Base after the pope returned from Leyte, Lim was able to hand the 78-year-old pontiff a skullcap he brought with him.

In exchange, Francis gave him the skullcap (or zucchetto) he was wearing.

Lim explained that he got the idea from videos of people in Rome exchanging zucchetti with the Pope.

Asked to describe his personal encounter with Pope on the tarmac, he said: "It's surreal, unexplainable. I was shaking. I was trembling.  Everything happens siguro if you are just in the right time, in the right place and if there's divine intervention; everything happens for a reason."

He added: "I think this will be a family heirloom."

Lim said that the Pope's zucchetto will be a "solid reminder" to remain faithful.

"I feel blessed. It's more than the feeling. It's more than the experience. Rather, it is more of the strengthening of my faith as a Christian," he said.

One of the most memorable images during the Pope's five-day visit to the Philippines is that of the smiling pontiff's skullcap being blown off his head by the wind as he exited the plane on Thursday. — BM, GMA News