When Pope Francis was still Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he was famous for eschewing diocese-owned automobiles in favor of public transportation. However, with his recent promotion to "Sovereign of Vatican City and Bishop of Rome," his Holiness has decided that maybe his own set of wheels wouldn't be such a bad idea.
Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI, sometimes drove a BMW X5 and, at his summer residence, a custom-made electric Renault. The new pope isn't quite so flashy. His vehicle of choice is a second-generation (read: used) European Ford Focus.
This is good news for Ford, according to AdAge.
AdAge: Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with auto consultancy Edmunds.com, said the free product placement can't help but boost Ford, particularly in Europe where auto sales are still recovering from the global economic recession.
"The European auto industry is in such bad shape, the nuns could help out an autoworker by buying any new car. And Ford would be thrilled to provide them with all the Focus cars they want, I'm sure."
Francis' isn't so much doing a solid for Alan Mulally as he is trying to set an example for a more humble church that focuses on the poor rather than its own creature comforts.
Autonews: As part of his drive to make the Catholic Church more austere and focus on the poor, Francis told young and trainee priests and nuns from around the world that having the latest smartphone or fashion accessory was not the route to happiness.
"It hurts me when I see a priest or a nun with the latest model car, you can't do this," he said.
"A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world," he said.
