Pope Francis In Rio: Driver Makes Wrong Turn, Car Swarmed By Spectators


Pope Francis was in Rio de Janeiro on Monday when his driver took a wrong turn down a busy street.

The Pontif was driving in the back of a Fiat as he traveled from the airport to the city center. As he sat in the back seat of the vehicle, his driver turned onto the wrong side of a 12-lane thoroughfare.

Thousands of faithful followers from the church quickly rushed the vehicle. Some people took photos, and others reached out in the hopes of touching the car and ultimately Pope Francis.

Instead of hiding behind his vehicle’s closed window, the pope rolled it down and reached out to his supporters.

At one point, a mother handed her child to Pope Francis through his open window.

Eventually the dense traffic of the church’s followers forced the Pope’s vehicle to stop for a short period of time.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi says Pope Francis never feared for his own safety.

“His secretary was afraid, but the pope was happy, with his hand out the window waving,” Lombardi said.

Lombardi adds:

“There are no concerns for security. The concerns are that the enthusiasm is so great that it’s difficult to respond to so much enthusiasm for the pope. But there is no fear and no concern,” Lombardi told reporters.

Unlike Pope’s of the past, Francis chooses not to ride in a “Pope Mobile” surrounded by bulletproof glass. While the Pope has given up expensive vehicles and other worldly goods, the Vatican admits that the Rio de Janeiro visit lacked proper planning and security for its new pontiff.

Check out the video above, and let us know if you think better security should have been implemented for Pope Francis’ visit to Rio?

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