A friend of mine told me this summer about how his small jar of apple butter was confiscated at the TSA security check. He was hoping to bring it from Minnesota back to Montana..
Another person recently told me that the snow globe she was bringing back as a souvenir from her vacation to California this summer was also confiscated by TSA. Unfortunately, she read the post about snow globes not being okay in a carry on after she lost her treasure.
Turns out, there is something else to think about when you pack. If you have holy water on you, even if it is blessed by the pope, better be safe and tuck it into your checked bag–particularly if you are traveling with the pope on his plane. Put it in your carry on and it might be confiscated.
Pope Benedict XVI, recognizing the hazards of holy water in a carry-on, is warning people that even the smallest amount could be a problem reports this Reuters article. Pope Benedict was specifically referring to people traveling with him to Lourdes, France from September 12-15.
People travel to Lourdes on a pilgrimage to see the spot where the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant girl in 1858. Picking up holy water as a souvenir is part of the occasion.
Like the pope, Air France has warned against bringing holy water onto the papal plane as well.
As for other airlines, other planes, and other occasions where you may be bringing holy water home with you, I’d pack it in a checked bag, or take your chances with a bottle if it’s no more than 3-ounces.
But, remember the apple butter and the snow globe and those half empty bottles of bottled water dumped into the trash by TSA. There’s no telling what might happen when you hoist that carry-on onto the conveyor belt that passes through an X-Ray machine.