Now here's a Pope who practices what he preaches.
Pope Francis arrived at the papal summer home, Castel Gandolfo, in a humble Ford Focus which was a far cry from the luxury cars of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who travelled around town in vehicles that included a custom-made Renault, a BMW X5, and a Mercedes.
In contrast, Pope Francis isn't even spending the summer in the luxurious retreat of Castel Gandolfo, preferring more modest accommodations in Rome.
The down-to-earth Pope called for greater austerity from religious figures last week, saying, “It hurts me when I see a priest or nun with the latest-model car. You can’t do this. A car is necessary to do a lot of work, but, please, choose a more humble one. If you like the fancy one, just think about how many children are dying of hunger in the world." The Ford Focus is a compact car with a starting sticker price of just about $16,000.
A priest in Colombia answered the Pope's call to humility just last week, saying that he planned to sell his white Mercedes-Benz E200 convertible, which was given to him as a gift from his four brothers.