Vatican: Don't Take 'Holy' Water Onto the Pope's Plane

VATICAN CITY - Even holy water must comply with aviation security, the Vatican has reminded pilgrims, after several bottles of water from the shrine at Lourdes were confiscated from travelers boarding Pope Benedict XVI's plane.

The papal aircraft falls under the same international liquid restrictions as any other flight, the Vatican's spokesman explained — 100 milliliters, in a clear plastic bag, no exceptions for blessings.

The issue arose as the pope prepared to travel to Lourdes, the French shrine where millions of pilgrims collect water each year from a spring associated with miraculous healings.

Organizers say pilgrims flying home with the pope's entourage will find larger bottles of Lourdes water waiting for them at their destination, pre-cleared.

"The water is holy, but the rules are the rules," the spokesman said. "Security officers are not empowered to perform miracles."

The restrictions, imposed worldwide after a 2006 bomb plot involving liquid explosives, have confounded pilgrims, musicians with instrument polish and, famously, mothers with baby bottles.

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