It's crazy to think that powerful people in the world would need their standardized vehicles to travel, and this is what led to the creation of the Popemobile. The safety of the Pope is one of the main reasons for the introduction of the guarded Popemobile. Unfortunately, the public assassination attempt of a Pope led to radical changes in the travel of the priests after that. Let us find out more about Popemobile!
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Timeline of the Popemobile
- The 1800s: The Pope-specialized automobile might not have been a thing yet but, Popes riding in style came around early. Before the taking over of the Church by Pope Pius VII, Popes rode horses themselves. He introduced the trend of traveling in a special carriage! One of the main factors that the Popemobile needs to look after is visibility – the Pope should be visible to the people during his travel times.
- 1909: New York's Archbishop gifted the Pope in 1909 with the first-ever Popemobile. However, he turned it down since he felt uncomfortable with the new invention.
- 1929: For the first time in history, the Pope accepted and started riding in an automobile. This was Pope Pius XI.
- 1950: International travel became practicality for the Pope now. John XXIII was the first to do that in 1950. His car had an open top and an elevated throne for the Pope.
- The 1970s: The all-terrain Popemobile came into existence for Pope Paul VI.
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A radical shift
An incident in 1981 changed technology forever! On the 13th of May, 1981, a public assassination attempt happened to Pope John Paul II, nearly killing him. After that incident, public travel for the Popes decreased. Now, the focus was on protecting the Pope from accidents.
This led to the introduction of the “bullet-proof” glass enclosure for the Pope. The next Popemobiles all worked on this design and looked for ways to keep the Pope safe.
Pope Francis is a revolutionary if his idea of travel is considered given the assassination attempt. His versions did away with the bullet-proof enclosures as he didn't want to feel trapped or separated from his people.
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Facts about the Popemobile
- Manufactured by: Mercedes-Benz
- Top Speed: 160 mph (usually it travels at 10 mph)
- The current model has been made while keeping the environment in mind. The Toyota Mirai for the Pope has “zero emissions.”
- A bullet-proof glass surrounds the car on one side instead of all four.
- The thrones have been done away with since the Popes weren't comfortable with the elevated seats.
- Pope Francis travels in the car very reluctantly!
Indeed, the history of cars used by different Popes' over the years is as interesting as the history of the Church!
