Pilgrims to Seek 'Face of God' on Vatican Charters

A new Vatican-approved Italian flight charter service is trying to win the hearts of travellers with the campaign slogan "I'm Searching for Your Face, Lord".

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

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

Repubblica said Mistral Air's slogan would be emblazoned on material throughout the aircraft, to be operated by Italy's postal service.

The debut charter flight late this month will be to the shrine of Lourdes in France, Reuters reports, and will lure pilgrims with one added bonus - the guide will be Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the former head of the Italian Bishops Conference, Repubblica said.