Pope Francis Jokes: Scotch Whisky Is the Real Holy Water

There is no doubt that whisky is a spirit in a class above the rest. Even the Vicar of Christ knows it. In 2019, during a meeting in the Vatican with Scottish seminarians, the Pope was given a bottle of scotch whisky, which the Pope received gracefully with a quip: “This is the real holy water!”

According to the Daily Record article which originally ran the story, the seminarians handed the Pope the bottle, but instead of passing the gift to one of his aides as he usually does, the Pope held it up and joked about it.

It is not the first time Pope Francis described whisky as holy water.

In 2018, Father Jim Wallis, a priest from Scotland, along with a group of Scottish bishops, met the Pope and gave him a bottle of scotch whisky. He described the encounter in an article published in the Dundee Carrier:

“We presented him with a bottle of whisky and he looked at it and said ‘Ha ha, that’s holy water!’”

The Pope has been given whisky by many world leaders and dignitaries, and every time he receives one, he accepts it gratefully, presumably with the same “holy water” joke.

The Pope wants us to enjoy leisure.

“Water is needed to live, but wine expresses the abundance of the banquet and joy of the celebration,” the Pope said in 2016. He reiterated his statement, saying “Wine is necessary for the celebration.”

Pope Francis is a cool dude: He allows simple pleasures, and urges people to enjoy leisure as one of the secrets to living a happy life, according to the Pope's 10 tips for happiness.