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Rollin' With the Homies: Pope Benedict Gets a Hybrid Whip
The Pope in his old ride/Photo by zoutedrop via Flickr
It's been a big week for the Pope: he sent his first tweet, and he was lucky enough to have a visit from a group of Angelenos, who traveled to Rome to celebrate the pallium ceremony of Archbishop Jose Gomez. Now, KCBS reports that Pope Benedict XVI is giving smug San Franciscans a run for their money by going green with his Popemobile:
Vatican officials have confirmed the details of Pope Benedict XVI’s latest ride: a custom-made M-Class plug-in hybrid based on the technology found inside the Mercedes Vision S500 plug-in hybrid shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
It's high-tech, all right, and it has the added benefit of being able to zip his Holiness to safety should someone threaten to do him harm. KCBS notes than a fully electric car, which the Vatican at one point considered, could not accelerate fast enough to get him out of a potentially dangerous situation, such as the approach of an assassin or an atheist.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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