Pontiff shuns bulletproof Popemobile to be close to people

ROME — Pope Francis says he refuses to travel in a “sardine can” bulletproof Popemobile because, despite concerns for his security, at his age he has nothing to lose.

Francis has brushed off fears for his personal security, saying he wants to engage with ordinary people.

The 77- year- old pontiff has created a security headache for Vatican officials with his refusal to ride in Popemobiles equipped with enclosed, bulletproof glass domes.

There were particular fears for his safety during his recent trip to the Holy Land, which involved public appearances in Jordan, Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Similar concerns arose last July when he made a weeklong trip to Rio de Janeiro, where he toured a favela and rode in an open- topped white jeep beside Copacabana beach.

Francis, who was elected in March last year, said: “It’s true that anything could happen, but, let’s face it, at my age I don’t have much to lose.”

“I know what could happen, but it is in God’s hands,” he said in an interview with La Vanguardia, a Barcelona daily. “I remember in Brazil, they had provided for me an enclosed Popemobile, but I cannot greet the people and tell them I love them inside a sardine can, even if it is made of glass. For me it is a wall.”

The Argentine Pope has opted to use open- top cars in contrast to his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who rode in a bulletproof Popemobile — a measure introduced after the attempted assassination of John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square in 1981.

He also said that Pope Benedict’s historic decision to resign in February last year had set a precedent, opening the way to future pontiffs to step down rather than die in office, as has been the tradition for centuries. Benedict, 87, became the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages.