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" Pope Francis has done things differently since they day he was elected. He wears simple vestments in lieu of the ornate robes of his predecessors, he chooses to live in a guest house rather than the official papal residence, and through words and actions, he has set a tone that has inspired many, Catholic and otherwise. He also chooses not to ride in a bulletproof popemobile. Whether greeting the throngs gathered at the Vatican, or on official visits to places like The Holy Land and Brazil, for example, Francis travels in an open Popemobile. Aside from a clear rain canopy, the sides are wide open\u2014a departure from the enclosed Popemobiles commonly (but not always) used in the wake of the 1981 assassination attempt against John Paul II, which took place in the Vatican square as he greeted the crowd from his open-air vehicle:      As the news reports from that evening point out, the entire design of the Popemobile was geared to allow the pontiff to be as close to the people as possible. After the assassination attempt, subsequent cars offered protection for the Pope by putting him inside a bulletproof bubble, effectively eliminating that closeness in the name of security.  It&amp;#039;s a trade-off that Francis is unwilling to make. In an interview with Spanish newspaper La Vangardia, he calls the enclosed Popemobile a &amp;quot;sardine can,&amp;quot; saying, &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s true that anything could happen, but let&amp;#039;s face it, at my age I don&amp;#039;t have much to lose.&amp;quot;  Hence, when he greets crowds at the Vatican, his custom Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen is completely open.  On his recent trip to the Holy Land, he again rode in an open car, fitted only with a rain shield:  Likewise, when he toured Brazil, he traveled from the airport in an un-armored car, and his Mercedes was similarly outfitted with just a rain shield as he toured favelas and city centers alike, allowing the faithful to come right up to the vehicle:  Yes, it&amp;#039;s a risk, and his security detail is probably under immense stress every second he&amp;#039;s exposed, but this vehicular choice is yet another demonstration of leadership by example, showing this Pope&amp;#039;s clear understanding of his mission. And lastly, it&amp;#039;s an interesting chapter in the unique and evolving history of the Popemobile.  Via Gawker, CNN "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a3493/pope-francis-discusses-why-he-does-not-use-a-bulletproof-popemobile/>