Popemobile is an informal name for the specially designed motor vehicles used by the Pope during outdoor public appearances without having to employ the antiquated and often impractical sedia gestatoria. The Popemobile was designed to allow the Pope to be more visible when greeting large crowds. There have been many different designs for Popemobiles since Pope John Paul II first used a modified truck to greet the crowds on his first trip to Polan...
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Popemobile is an informal name for the specially designed motor vehicles used by the Pope during outdoor public appearances without having to employ the antiquated and often impractical sedia gestatoria. The Popemobile was designed to allow the Pope to be more visible when greeting large crowds. There have been many different designs for Popemobiles since Pope John Paul II first used a modified truck to greet the crowds on his first trip to Poland as Pope.
Some Popemobiles are open air, while others have bulletproof glass to enclose the Pope. (These were deemed necessary after the Ali Agca assassination attempt.) Some allow the Pope to sit, while others are designed to accommodate the Pope standing. The variety of Popemobiles allows the Vatican to select a vehicle appropriate for each usage depending upon the level of security needed and distance and speed of travel. The vehicle registration plate of the Popemobile reads "SCV 1". "SCV" stands for Stato della Città del Vaticano, which...
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