Step away from the Holy Water

ROME: Pilgrims on the Vatican's fledgling airline were stunned to discover that holy water from Lourdes, in southwest France, cannot be taken on board for security reasons, media reports said on Wednesday.

French security officers seized the liquid -- reputed to have miracle-giving qualities -- under a Europe-wide anti-terrorism rule that forbids more than 100 millilitres in each passenger's carry-on baggage.

One pilgrim was so distraught that he drank the holy water on the spot, rather than surrender it to the authorities, Italy's Il Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.

Well I think they will reject this policy just as soon as they have a demonically possessed hijacker.

I did forget to cover the subject of sacramental security in my Vatican Air parody post. They obviously need a chemical sniffer to be able to differentiate between Holy Water and a liquid explosive. Though I think it might be easier to detect the explosive than the influence of prayerful petition that makes a sacramental efficacious.

There is also a consideration for those new airport security scanners that are much more detailed. Some people might succumb to pride in wearing a hair shirt if it can be detected by the scanner. On Vatican Air people might be screened because they could not detect a scapular or Rosary or other Catholic sacramentals. Screens could though detect non-Catholics and possible threats by saying "The Lord be with you." and if the person doesn't immediately reply with "And also with you" or "Et cum spiritu tuo", then the person would be more thoroughly screened.