The cars of Pope Francis

Jorge Mario Bergoglio or Pope Francis was an advocate of simplicity long before he took the helm of the Catholic Church and this is very evident from the vehicles he has used during his visits around the world. The cars that drive Pope Francis are mostly bulletproof and are not considered “luxury” vehicles but rather vehicles that the masses would also use on a daily basis. Below are just some of the humble cars that Pope Francis has used during his duties as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

1984 Renault 4 Hatchback

His eminence received this 30-year old car as a gift from his old friend Father Renzo Zocca, a 70-year-old priest from northern Italy. With 300,000 kilometers on its odometer the day he got it in September last year, the Renault 4 is the perfect encapsulation of humility. Known also as the 4L or Quatrelle, this hatchback economy car was the first front wheel drive developed by the French multinational vehicle manufacturer. It is a very basic car with a simple dashboard and sliding windows.

Ford Focus (2nd Generation)

The European-released Ford Focus Mk 2 was produced between 2004 and 2011. This blue-colored, 4-door sedan was first seen carrying the Pope during an informal gathering at Castel Gandolfo, a small town outside of Rome. It was also on this occasion that the pontiff was quoted saying: “a car is necessary to do a lot of work, but, please, choose a more humble one.” This no-frills compact car has an estimated sticker price of $16,000 (more than P700,000), the same price as most entry-level sedans in the Philippine market.

FIAT Panda (AWD)

The Pope's Panda was raffled during an auction to raise money for charity before the end of last year. It was the top prize at the said charity event, where tickets were sold at $12.50 each. The iconic city car was said to have come from a world leader, although the Vatican did not specify exactly who it was. Under the hood, the brand new Panda runs on a 1.2 liter FIRE gasoline engine which supplies 69 horsepower and 102 Nm of torque. It has a humble top speed of 164 kilometers per hour (kph) and can accelerate from 0-100 kph in 14.2 seconds. The said auctioned Panda also has “full options”, which include 15-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, roof rails and side moldings.

Kia Soul

During his visit to South Korea, Pope Francis once again surprised everyone by riding in a modestly chauffeured Kia Soul. This high-roofed hatchback became Pope Francis's official ride across the East Asian country during his 5-day visit in August of last year. One of the puns that emerged during his visit may have lightened up the Pope’s choice of vehicles- “he’s riding a Soul in Seoul.” Ok, that may be a bit corny.

Mercedes-Benz M-class

This luxurious pope mobile is one of the few premier car models kept by the Vatican for officially transporting the head of the Catholic faith. Mercedes also furnished a long line of vehicles for papal use stretching as far as the Nurburg 460 Pullman which was delivered in 1930. The modified M-class SUV was supposed to be used for the Pope's visit to Brazil last July 2013, but it was later replaced by the humbler Focus.

What car will Pope Francis use for his Philippine visit?

At the time of publishing this article, the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) had yet to reveal the type of vehicle the pope will use for his visit to the country. Earlier reports, however, hinted that it will not have the traditional bullet proof glass. Papal Visit 2015 executive committee member Fr. David Concepcion described the intended pope mobile as vulnerable, accessible and open. The vehicle is also expected to have the official vehicle registration plate with the letters SCV (Status Civiliatis Vaticanae), which usually reads “SCV 1”. Pope John Paul II, on his 1995 visit in lieu of the World Youth day, used an Anfra dropside pickup truck which was manufactured by the Filipino-owned firm Francisco Motors Corp.