Pope Francis plucks priest friend from the crowd and takes him for a ride on his Popemobile

Pope Francis has once again broken with papal protocol by inviting an old friend for a spin on his famous 'Popemobile' during his weekly audience in St Peter's Square.

The Reverend Fabian Baez, a parish priest in Francis' hometown of Buenos Aires, didn't have a VIP ticket granting him a seat close to the altar or a spot where the pope would chat with well-wishers.

But as soon as Francis saw Baez in the crowd of several thousand people as the priest called out 'Santo Padre', the pope signaled for Vatican gendarmes to help Baez jump the barricade.

Hugging him warmly, Francis then invited Baez to hop aboard his panoramic car.

Sat alongside the papal assistant, the priest, from Our Lady of the Pillar church, accompanied the pope through the square as the head of the Catholic church waved to well-wishers and kissed babies.

    

Baez said he was shocked by Francis' invitation, telling reporters afterward: 'I said to myself "What am I doing here? Mamma mia!"

'The pope laughed and said "Come, sit down, sit down!" And he continued to greet the people and kiss babies. I was very moved'

Baez said the two had known each other since the 1990s; the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio was archbishop of the Argentine capital before being named pope.


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