Vatican to fly faithful closer to God

MOST of us would dread flying on a wing and a prayer, but the Pope has made it possible for pilgrims to utter prayers on the wing with his own discount airline.

The Vatican is bringing its faithful 30,000 feet closer to heaven albeit only for a few hours as it flies pilgrims to shrines and holy sites across the world.

Mistral Air will bedeck the Boeing 737s in the Vatican colours of blue, yellow and white. The fuselage will carry the phrase Looking for your face Lord.

There is no indication as to what the in-flight meal will be, though the crew could always stock up on extra loaves and fishes in case the catering suppliers let them down.

Mistral Air will shuttle Catholic pilgrims around the globe to holy sites, including the shrine of Fatima in Portugal and the shrine of the Madonna of Guadalupe in Mexico.

Father Cesare Atuire of the Vatican pilgrimage office, the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, told La Repubblica: “The spirit of this new initiative is to meet the growing demand by pilgrims to visit the most important sites for the faith.”

The aircraft will be operated by Italy’s postal service. The debut charter flight which will fly to the shrine of Lourdes, will depart later this month.

The first to aim for the heavens will have an added bonus — the guide will be Cardinal Camillo Ruini, former head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.