Pope Francis has three pope mobiles during visit to PH

Pope Francis has three pope mobiles during visit to PH.

MANILA, Jan. 11 — During the visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines, the Papal Visit Committee will provide three pope mobiles, two for the Pope’s mobility in Manila and one for his Tacloban-Palo visit.

The third pope mobile comes from South Korea, the vehicle used by Pope Francis during his visit to the Korean peninsula in August of 2014.

An official of the 2015 Papal Visit Committee said that the third is a backup vehicle for Pope Francis during his five-day visit in the country.

2015_0111_popemobile
File photo of the pope mobile used by Pope, now Saint John Paul II during his second Papal visit to the Philippines in 1995. Standard security feature of a pope mobile include bulletproof plexiglass windows and roof, able to withstand explosions and reinforced, armored side panels and undercarriage designed to resist bomb blasts. Photo courtesy of UST Ad Januam Coeli Exhibit/ Onzell.

According to committee chairman Archbishop Socrates Villegas, one of the three vehicles has been shipped to the country from South Korea, which the pontiff visited in August last year.

Villegas said that they provided more than one pope mobile for the Holy Father since there has to be another vehicle for him in Leyte.

The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines added, “Dito sa Manila we will have the jeepney-inspired pope mobile for the use of the Holy Father but we also have an alternate pope mobile just in case something breaks down we have a backup.”

Villegas said the driver of the pope mobile will be part of the papal party, noting that they did not provide a driver familiar with the roads and areas since a security car will guide the papal convoy.

“We don’t need that kind of expertise kasi there’s a security car in front to be followed. What we need is familiarity with the preferences of Pope Francis because if he wants to stop or he wants to greet, he already is familiar with the body language of the pope,” he said.

Asked if the backup vehicle is bulletproof, the Lingayen-Dagupan prelate said, “It is proofed by angels.” (with report from PNA)

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