Will Pope Francis Use His New Popemobile?
Ryan Joseph Ramos July 8, 2013
It hasn’t been a week since Mercedes-Benz chief Dr. Dieter Zetsche personally handed over the keys of the new popemobile to Pope Francis, and now the head of the Catholic Church already seems like he won’t get to use his specially-designed Mercedes-Benz vehicle.
The pope was seen on an old Fiat Campagnola while going around Lampedusa, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, for his first pastoral visit outside of Rome. Just last Saturday, the pope said that it pains him to see priests and nuns that drive luxury cars or even the latest-model vehicles.
He said to a group of priests and nuns that, while cars may be necessary, there’s also no need to be fancy. Taking “a more humble” one should be the approach taken by people such as them.
That’s a bit of a blow to Mercedes-Benz, who was hard at work on this new custom popemobile and was also the provider of other popemobiles in the past. Zetche noted that the popemobile is something that the company is truly proud of, but what happens if the pope refuses to actually use the car?
Pope Francis represents something new, a different way of thinking that eschews luxury and comfort. He doesn’t seem like he’s going to go back on his words anytime soon, so we think that new popemobile will probably stay under its covers for quite some time.
