Pope Francis’s 2016 Fiat 500L Is Hashtag Blessed
By Paulo Acoba
Pope Francis stepped off an AlItalia Airbus A330-200 straight into a 2016 Fiat 500L.
It was originally reported that when Pope Francis visited the United States he would be puttering around in a full on American Jeep Wrangler. But earlier today (Sept. 22, 2015) according to our good friends at Auto News, Pope Francis made his way down the AlItalia Airbus and into a pint-sized black 2016 Fiat 500L. Dwarfed by secret service vehicles that were the typical Chevrolet Suburban’s it was easy to pick out in the official parade which one had the pope as it was clearly the smallest car there.
Pope Francis blesses Fiat with some free product placement via mashable http://t.co/Wb2yUlBQDw
— Andrea Toribio (@dea_tabs) September 22, 2015
#PopeFrancis boarded a Fiat to start the US leg of his trip http://t.co/TYPXBVadv3 #PopeInDC #PopeinUS @CNNPolitics http://t.co/4s5HOGlEyv
— CNN (@CNN) September 22, 2015
Pope Francis puts faith in fat little @FiatUSA 500L http://t.co/C8jIZDrxct pic.twitter.com/sM0tPAPdgm
— Jalopnik (@Jalopnik) September 23, 2015
According to Auto News, the 2016 Fiat 500L wasn’t just an endorsement to his Italian roots of his office, but was there to make a political statement as well, albeit a humble one.
"“Francis is showing that he likes to continue the practice of being driven in something that is smaller than an American SUV,” Bishop Christopher Coyne, of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in an interview. “He’s also showing his desire that bishops live a simple life.”"
Rated at 27 miles per gallon, the 2016 Fiat 500L is a frugal and humble choice for the 78-year-old Pontiff. Compare that to the Chevrolet Suburban which manages a respectable 23 MPG on the highway or President Obama’s 8 MPG in his modified armored Cadillac nicknamed, “The Beast.”
More from Celebrity
- Will We See A Mainstream Tesla Roadster Anytime Soon?
- From Toyota Hilux to Top Gear
- Inside F1’s Lewis Hamilton’s supercar collection
- Top 5 British number plates
- Throwback Thursday: Subaru Impreza WRC
Photos on social media clearly show the humble pope enjoying himself as he waved to crowds the onlooking faithful as he was all smiles with his window rolled down and armed outstretched. The Pope will most liklely settle in for the day and rest up as he has a very early morning meeting with President Obama at 5:45 A.M. the next day.