Pope kicks off Indonesia visit in ordinary family car

Pope Francis began his extensive 12-day tour of four Asian countries on a humble note by opting to use a family car and ditching a luxury hotel stay as he arrived in Muslim-majority Indonesia for the first leg.

- SHWETA SHARMA

The leader of the Catholic Church started the first full day of his trip yesterday, packed with meetings with political and religious leaders, with interfaith dialogue and climate change at the top of the agenda.

The packed schedule of the Pope’s farthest and longest trip to date would test the stamina of most people, let alone an 87-year-old suffering from myriad health problems.

The pontiff was chauffeured in a white Toyota Innova with the special SCV1 number plate, typically used by Vatican embassies for his appearances.

“The choice of vehicle was based on the Vatican’s specific request for an ordinary, commonly used car,” Major General Achiruddin, Presidential Security Force commander, was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe. “We were happy to accommodate this.”

The Indonesian government had arranged for the Pope to stay in a luxury hotel but he preferred to stay at the Vatican embassy in Jakarta instead.

However, he will be chauffeured in a custom-made bulletproof tactical vehicle with a detachable roof during the Mass service at Bung Karno Stadium today which is expected to draw more than 60,000 people.

The Maung MV3, was customised for Francis by the Indonesian state defence company Pindad.