What do you mean by holy, Pops?

I don't know that they're thought of as pieces of God or anything, but since they are affiliated with God, the Catholic church and prayer they are deemed to be valuable and worthy of a certain degree of respect and protocol.

Just like with the flag. We don't worship a flag, but it is a symbol of our country so we have certain rules about how it should be treated.

But it's not like the Orthodox Church who consider icons (paintings of Christ and the Madonna) to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I don't think that they're meant to be seen as an actual piece of God, but a tool that brings you closer to Him.

Does that make any sense?