Popemobile, motorized vehicle used to transport the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, when he greets the public. The term has been used to describe any number of specially designed vehicles by automobile brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, Jeep, and Cadillac. The Popemobile also functions as a form of security for the pope and as a physical platform to enhance his visibility while greeting large crowds. Popemobile is a colloquial term that was popularized in the late 1970s and ’80s and has been adopted even by official entities such as the Vatican Museums and Galleries and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

History of papal transport

The need to transport the pontiff to greet the public for ceremonies and religious processions is nearly as old as the office of pope. The first form of papal transport was a portable ceremonial throne known as the sedia gestatoria (Italian: “chair for carrying”). It was held up by a long pole on either side and carried by 12 attendants known as sediari, who wore red ceremonial costumes and were selected for their role from a confraternity established by Pope Urban VI in 1378. This raised throne allowed for the pontiff to be more visible in crowds and added an air of reverence to his public appearances. A smaller chair, known as a sediola, was used for smaller spaces and was carried by eight attendants. In the modern era the sediari typically wore black suits rather than red costumes.

Essentially an opulent armchair, the sedia gestatoria was upholstered in luxurious fabrics such as silk and velvet in the colors of red and gold. As the pope was held aloft, two attendants stood at either side of the throne with large fans known as flabella. Made of white ostrich feathers, the flabella not only added to the sense of papal majesty but also helped keep the pope cool and waved away insects during summer processions. Some of these thrones were covered, resembling a carriage car, such as that of Pope Leo XIII (reigned 1878–1903). The last pope for whom a sedia gestatoria was used was Pope John Paul I in 1978. Its employment ended simply because the next pontiff, John Paul II (reigned 1978–2005), refused to use one, reflecting a series of modernizations to the papacy.

Another precursor to the modern Popemobile was the horse-drawn carriage, believed to have been first used by the newly elected Pius VII in 1800 when he arrived in Rome to assume leadership of the church. (Unusually, the papal conclave that elected him had been held in Venice instead of Rome because of Napoleon’s control of Italy at the time.) Subsequent papal carriages included the Grand Gala Berlin, a massive and well-decorated wooden carriage created for Leo XII (reigned 1823–29). It featured a cushy red-velvet interior, a throne located behind the passenger compartment, and an abundance of gold inlay, with golden plumes jutting from the top of the compartment. Among its iconography was the papal coat of arms, the scales of justice, and a dove (representing the Holy Spirit) stitched into the roof of the interior with silver thread and surrounding golden rays. The driver’s seat was removed during the papacy of Gregory XVI in 1841 and replaced with two cherub statues. (After this modification the carriage was steered by coachmen riding on horseback.)

The last time a papal carriage was used was in September 1870 by Pope Pius IX to travel to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. The following month the Papal States were disbanded and Rome was annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy, stripping the pontiff of his temporal power. For the next 59 years, until the signing of the Lateran Treaty and the establishment of Vatican City as a sovereign ecclesiastical state in 1929, the sitting pope never left the Vatican Palace, thus eliminating any need for papal transport other than the sedia gestatoria.

Popemobiles through the years

The first official motorized papal vehicles were gifts that were donated to Pope Pius XI in 1929 to mark the conciliation between Italy’s government and the Holy See. Among these was a black Graham-Paige Type 837, which had the distinction of being the vehicle that made the first papal trip outside the Vatican since 1870—specifically, to carry Pius XI to the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a priest. Another of these early Popemobiles (though the term had yet to be coined) was a limousine manufactured by Mercedes-Benz and designed by Ferdinand Porsche. Presented to Pius XI in 1930, the vehicle was a Nürburg 460 model with slight modifications to increase leg room in the main cabin. It also featured a dove embroidered into the interior, a throne seat, and a series of buttons that the pope could use to communicate with the driver. Other early motorized Popemobiles were a Fiat 525, an Isotta Fraschini Type 8, and a burgundy-and-gold Citroën Lictoria C6, nicknamed the Lictoria Sex.

In 1960, during the reign of John XXIII, the papal fleet saw the addition of a convertible, giving the pope the ability to stand while riding in the vehicle and increasing visibility to crowds. This particular vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz 300D, also featured a two-way radio, air-conditioning controls, a throne seat that could be adjusted for height, and a handrail modification to help the pope stabilize himself while standing. Other convertible Popemobiles in the 1960s and ’70s included a Lincoln Continental and a Citroën SM.

The term Popemobile was coined in 1979 during John Paul II’s papal visit to Ireland, where he was transported around the country in a yellow, glass-sided, 15-seat van that resembled a parade float vehicle. In 1981 John Paul II was shot by Turkish nationalist Mehmet Ali Agca while riding in an all-white, open-air Fiat 1107 Nuova Campagnola in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. The pope survived the assassination attempt, but the event prompted major changes to the design of papal vehicles. Moving forward, the vast majority of Popemobiles featured windows made of bulletproof glass or plastic with bullet-resistant glazing. Other security upgrades included armored plating and a step at the back bumper on which the pope’s security could stand and ride.

Some Popemobiles have been small, such as the 1982 SEAT Panda used by John Paul II on his visit to Spain, which better enabled him to fit through the entrances of football (soccer) stadiums. One of the largest was the glass-sided bus used in 1999 during John Paul II’s visit to Mexico City. Mercedes-Benz has been the most frequent supplier of papal vehicles. Among the models designed for Benedict XVI (reigned 2005–13) was a 2007 Mercedes-Benz G-wagon, an open-air vehicle that was equipped with a folding windscreen and that he liked to use in good weather. Benedict was also the first pope to request a hybrid model Popemobile.

Pope Francis (reigned 2013–25) mostly shied away from using the Popemobile, preferring to go on foot in crowds and driving modest-sized vehicles around the Vatican, such as a Ford Focus and a Renault 4L. Having once likened the enclosed, bulletproof Popemobiles to a “sardine can,” Francis has tended to use at least partially open-air vehicles designed by companies such as Jeep, Fiat, Kia, and Hyundai with very little in the way of customized modifications.