Pope Francis ditches fancy wheels, opts for modest Fiat

Since succeeding Pope Benedict in March 2013, Pope Francis has always been vocal about his views on cars. The pontiff has always stated that it pained him to see priests and nuns drive flashy cars and appealed them to pick up something more humble. And yes, the pontiff practises what he preaches.

On his first journey to the US soil, Pope Francis ditched the fancy wheels and opted for a modest Fiat 500 L. The pontiff was driven in a charcoal grey 500 L sandwiched between two black SUVs in the motorcade after he stepped off his plane at the Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

Pope Francis’ choice of wheels reflects his commitment towards environmental stewardship and also his emphasis on living a simple lifestyle and focussing on helping the poor. The pontiff uses a blue Ford Focus to get around the Vatican City, while during his visit to South Korea he had used a Kia.

Former popes have been known for using popemobile, an informal name for special vehicles with glass-enclosed viewing areas that let a pope travel through huge crowds without a security threat. Pope Francis, however, seems to be less concerned about his security which is clear from the fact that as soon as he got into the Fiat 500 L he rolled down the windows of the car to wave out to the cheering crowd.

According to reports, Pope Francis had ditched an elegant Mercedes popmobile for other models that have been modified including models from Jeep, Toyota, Isuzu, Kia, Hyundai, and Land Rover.