Pope Francis will use an old, borrowed Fiat as a popemobile on his first papal
visit on Monday, two days after telling trainee priests to avoid driving
flashy cars. The Argentinian pope will visit the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa to drop a wreath into waters where thousands of migrants have drowned in recent years as they attempted to reach Europe from Africa, often on rickety, unseaworthy boats.
Seven migrants drowned in June while they tried to cling to a tuna net being
used by a Tunisian fishing boat near Malta.
Befitting his parsimonious style, Francis has planned a no-frills trip to the island, taking a small entourage and borrowing a drop-top Fiat Campagnola to get to a mass he will hold in a sports field.
"The pope said he wanted nothing wasted on this trip," said a spokesman for the local mayor. "Since everyone knows everyone here, the town hall contacted a man who owns a villa and asked to borrow his car, which is over 20 years old," he added.
Popes used an open Fiat Campagnola during masses at St Peter's Square until Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded there in 1981.
Francis' predecessor, Pope Benedict, instead used a bomb proof Mercedes with a glass booth on the back where he sat on a white leather chair with gold trim.
On Saturday, Francis warned an audience of trainee priests and nuns against using "the latest smart phone, the fastest car," telling them "It hurts my heart when I see a priest with the latest model car," adding, "If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world."
Francis has previously called for a "poor" Church, dedicated to helping the world's deprived, and has chosen to live in a Vatican residence, dining with prelates, instead of moving into the Vatican's large papal apartment.
His choice of car for moving around the Vatican is reportedly a compact Ford Focus.