Pope Leo XIV praised for 'dressing with respect' aboard airplane in new civility push

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been speaking out about a new civility campaign targeting manners, flight behavior and appropriate dress for airplane travel.

Duffy recently drew attention to Pope Leo XIV in an X post complimenting the leader of the world's Catholics on his outfit on Monday.

"Now THIS is dressing with respect," Duffy said in a lighthearted repost of a photo of the pope on a plane. The pope was standing and talking to others as he held a baseball bat he'd just been given. 

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The pope is on his first overseas trip, heading to Turkey and Lebanon. He was gifted a bat once owned by Chicago White Sox player Nellie Fox.

Photos of the pope during his flight sparked robust conversations on social media. 

"Well played," commented a user on X.

Another person wrote, "I'll wear slippers and pajamas on a plane if I want to."

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"Civility at its [peak]. Is the pope a baseball fan, or was he blessing someone's bat?" asked an X user.

"Nobody is ever going to dress better on a plane. He kinda knocked it out of the ballpark with this one," joked another person. 

"Air travel has gotten so precarious these days, even the pope carries for self-defense," said one user, pointing to the bat.

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Another user joked, "Oh yeah, and let's fine him for not having a Real ID, though."

The outfits and behavior of passengers came into the spotlight when Duffy was speaking at Newark Airport in New Jersey last week. He said he'd noticed "a degradation in civility" among air travelers.

Duffy launched what he called a "civility campaign" to encourage courtesy and patience during the crush of holiday travel.

At President Donald Trump's Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Duffy doubled down on the campaign, saying that Americans should be courteous when putting TSA bins back in the stack.

"Let's be nice to each other, is what we've asked. Maybe not wear pajamas or slippers on the airplane," he added. 

Courtney Walsh contributed reporting.