Pope Francis chooses VW over bulletproof car

Pope Francis waves to Filipinos after mass at Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Manila, Philippines on Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. Pope Francis called Friday for authorities to reject the corruption that has plagued this Asian nation for decades and urged them to instead work to end its “scandalous” poverty as he brought his message of social justice to Filipinos who cheered him wildly at every turn. AP

MANILA, Philippines—In one of his moments as the so-called “Pope of Surprises,” Pope Francis declined the bulletproof car that the government had prepared for him and instead took a compact Volkswagen Touran that allowed him to wave back at cheering crowds on the road on the second day of his visit.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, speaking at a media briefing on the Pontiff’s security, took this move as another example of the “humility” that had widely defined Francis’ 9-month-old papacy.

“What Pope Francis did was really extraordinary. Although there was an expensive bullet-proof vehicle for him, he chose to use the Volkswagen (which is) small and quite cramped inside because he’s tall,” Roxas said on Friday.

The government-provided vehicle was supposed to bring the Pope from the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila to Malacañang for his courtesy call with President Aquino, his first public event on Day 2 of his five-day visit.

“But he showed his humility and his desire to be close to the people (by using the Volkswagen), since the bullet-proof car had tinted windows which cannot be opened. You saw how he waved at the people as he traveled to the Palace.”

The black Volkswagen Touran was provided by the Pope’s own delegation from the Vatican, Roxas said.

A senior police official said the Pope’s choice of transport was an example of how difficult it was to provide security for a VIP known to break protocol just to be close to or have physical contact with adoring crowds.

“It’s actually 10 times more difficult to guard him than (US) President Barack Obama,” said the official, who declined to be named. The US President visited the country in April last year.

“To say that this is a security nightmare is an understatement. But it’s a nightmare I’m willing to endure because this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Roxas said the Philippine National Police (PNP) had divided the Pope’s itinerary into “44 events”—which cover not just his main public appearances but his movement and other side events in between.

He said a dozen of these events had been completed as of Friday without any hitch in terms of security. –Marlon Ramos