The popemobile is a specially designed motor vehicle used by the Pope during public appearances.[1] It is considered a successor to the sedia gestatoria and was designed to allow the Pope to be more visible when greeting large crowds.
There have been many different designs for popemobiles since Pope Paul VI first used a modified Lincoln Continental to greet crowds in New York City in 1965. Some are open air, while others have bulletproof glass walls to enclose the Pope, deemed necessary after the 1981 assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II. Some allow the Pope to sit, while others are designed to accommodate him standing. The variety of popemobiles allows the Roman Curia to select an appropriate one for each usage depending upon the level of security needed, distance, speed of travel, and the Pope's preferences.
The vehicle registration plates of Vatican City all begin with the letters "SCV", an abbreviation of the LatinStatus Civitatis Vaticanae ("Vatican City State"), followed by the vehicle fleet number. The registration plate for the Ford Focus currently used by Pope Francis is "SCV 00919".[2] In the past, the popemobile has typically used registration plate "SCV 1", although plates numbered "SCV 2" to "SCV 9" have also been used.[3]Mercedes-Benz is acknowledged to have been the most frequent provider of papal vehicles since it provided the Vatican with its first "popemobile" in 1930.[4][5][6][7] In December 2024, the Vatican would get its first electric popemobile, with plans also being made to make the rest of the popemobiles electric by 2030 as well.[6]
The precursor to the popemobile was the sedia gestatoria, a chair carried on the shoulders of papal attendants. This fell out of use after the death of Pope Paul VI in 1978. Pope John Paul I, who succeeded Pope Paul VI and reigned for only 33 days before his death, was the last Pope who used the sedia gestatoria.[8]
Papal carriages were adorned with red velvet upholstery and gilded engravings and trimmings. Several were used in the 1800s, many of which have been restored and are on display at the Carriage Pavilion exhibit of the Vatican Museums.[9]
An inventory from the papal stables in 1841 shows the carriages were pulled by horses with names such as Bandito (Bandit), Pomposino (Pompous), Bufalino (Buffalo) and Capitano (Captain).[9]
On 10 November 1929, the Vatican would get its first automobile when the Graham brothers who led the Detroit based Graham Paige Motors Corporation donated a Graham Paige 837 limosuine, which Pope Pius XI would use to travel to the Basilica of St. John Lateran on 22 December 1929.[10] However, the Nurburg 460 Pullman which was given to Pope Pius XI in 1930 by German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is considered to have been to first "official" popemobile.[4]
During the Pope's visit to Canada in 1984, a modified GMC Sierra was used as a base, rebuilt by the Thibault Fire Engines Company in Pierreville, Quebec. It was subsequently used for the 1998 papal visit to Cuba and was displayed at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa in 2005. The second truck built by the Thibault Fire Engines Company[17] was sent back to the Vatican in 1984.[18]
During the papal visit to the United States in September 1987, a pair of Mercedes-Benz 230 G popemobiles were flown to Washington, D.C., and modified by the United States Secret Service to provide access to the papal compartment from the driver's cabin, a design that continued to be used after the trip.[19] One of these vehicles has been retired and is currently on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
In 2002, John Paul II requested that the media stop referring to the car as the "popemobile", saying that the term was "undignified".[1] The popemobile most often used by Pope Benedict XVI when traveling abroad was a modified Mercedes-Benz M-Classsport utility vehicle with a special glass-enclosed room that had its own oxygen supply built into the back of the vehicle. The Pope enters through a rear door and ascends several steps. He then sits in a chair made from white leather with gold trim which is then elevated into the glass room by a hydraulic lift, allowing the Pope to be more easily seen. In addition to the driver, there is room for one passenger (usually a security agent) in the front of the vehicle. The glass-enclosed rear of the vehicle also has room for two papal aides who can sit in the area in front of the Pope's elevated chair. The vehicle includes bulletproof glass windows and skylights and is made from reinforced armour plating, security features designed to withstand explosives under or around it. At 2011 prices, the popemobile cost approximately 345,000 GBP.[20]
On June 6, 2007, a German man tried to jump into Benedict XVI's uncovered popemobile as the pontiff began his general audience. The Pope was not hurt and did not even appear to notice that the man had jumped over the protective barrier in the square and had grabbed onto the white Fiat popemobile as it passed. At least eight security officers were trailing the vehicle as it moved slowly through the square. They subsequently grabbed the man and wrestled him to the ground, before he was interrogated by Vatican police.[21]
Pope Francis shows a preference for a simpler lifestyle and simpler cars. As a cardinal, he often used public transport.[22] On the night of his election, he rode with the other cardinals in a minibus back to their hotel instead of using a papal limousine.[23] For trips within the Vatican City, he uses a small Ford Focus from the Vatican motor pool. He also drives himself around the city in a 1984 Renault 4 presented to him by Italian Father Renzo Zocca.[24]
Italian automaker Fiat, the traditional supplier of papal cars, supplied Pope Francis with the Fiat 500L used for his visit to the United States on 22–27 September 2015.[26] Fiat also supplied the Jeep Wrangler he used in Ecuador in July 2015.[27]
^Day, Matthew. "Popemobile to go green". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
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