In a recent interview with a Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, Pope Francis spoke about why he prefers not to use the bulletproof Popemobile, explaining that at his age he doesn't have "much to lose."
The bulletproof Popemobile was introduced after the attempted assassination of John Paul II in 1981, and favored by Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI. Cool Pope, however, does not have time for that. He told La Vanguardia:
"I remember in Brazil, they'd 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. It is true something could happen to me but let's be realistic, at my age I do not have much to lose. I know what could happen, but it is in God's hands."Vatican officials aren't particularly happy with this choice, and are said to have voiced fears for his safety during recent appearances in Jordan, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. They were also unhappy with his decision to, last July, tour Rio de Janeiro in, according to The Independent, "an open-topped white jeep along the sea front of Copacabana beach."
