In light of the tragic death of Pope Francis, I thought I would share something very unique that only adds to his remarkable papacy.
Pope Francis, who led the Catholic Church for 12 years, made headlines for many reasons: his humility, his outreach to the poor, and his progressive perspective. He was also the first Jesuit ro ever be elected pope—which plays a huge role in what I’m about to share.
In this post:
So why did the Pope fly economy?
As I said, Francis was a Jesuit. The Jesuits are a specific religious order within Catholicism. Their mission centers around service and education, but arguably the most striking part of being a Jesuit is the vow of poverty.
Every Jesuit has to take this vow. It’s a commitment to give up personal wealth, comfort, and luxury. That means no private jets, no fancy cars, no gourmet dinners.
So when Francis was elected pope, becoming the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics and the head of Vatican City, he didn’t suddenly get a pass to start living large. Quite the opposite. He stayed true to that vow.
Which meant, among other things, flying economy.
Talk about a surreal experience.
Notably, on his first papal trip to Brazil in 2013, Francis declined the papal jet’s luxuries and flew on a standard Alitalia Airbus A330. He even carried his own black briefcase onboard.
For decades, the Vatican partnered with Alitalia for outbound papal flights—often referred to as “Shepherd One.” Today, ITA Airways (Alitalia’s successor) continues the tradition. But no matter the airline, Francis never seemed concerned with what cabin he was in.
Unsuspecting passengers departing FCO could be on a royale voyage.
Why this is significant
Most world leaders travel in custom-commercial configured aircraft, like Air Force One, the, Air India One, etc.
These fully modified commercial planes are custom with private bedrooms, showers, and full communications centers onboard. Meanwhile, Francis flew coach.
Air Force One has contunied to use the renowed Boeing 747.
The interior of the custom "Air India One" Boeing 777.
Final Thoughts
Today’s world is full of luxury travel, airline status games, and countless blog posts ranking which first class champagne is worth popping. Somewhere along the way, we started equating lie-flat seats with success. But Pope Francis flipped that narrative on its head.
Without overanalyzing here, there’s something deeply grounding about a man who could have had it all - and still chose coach.
Even after becoming the head of the Catholic Church and a sovereign country, he flew in economy.
Now, I'm by no means the most qualified individual to speak on this topic, but from where I sit, his leadership was rooted in presence, not prestige.
With the world mourning his passing and looking ahead to who might lead the Church next, one can’t help but wonder: Will the next pope follow in Francis’ footsteps? Or will he embrace a more traditional papal leadership style?
For more than one reason, I wish I had those answers for you.
