The white Renault 4, registered in 1984, was donated to Pope Francis on September 7, 2013 by Don Renzo Zocca, who was for many years the parish priest in Saval, the workers’ quarter of Verona. Despite its 30 horse power and 4 speed gearbox next the steering wheel, this utilitarian vehicle, a symbol of simplicity as lived in peripheral areas, had already travelled 185 thousand miles at the time it was donated, as Don Zocca had travelled the length and breadth of his parish to bring help, aid and comfort to those in need. Don Zocca was impressed by the words and gestures of Pope Francis following his election and wanted to donate his car to the pope who had made the peripheries one of the themes of his pontificate. On the day the Renault 4 was presented to the Pope, he and Don Zocco took it for a test drive. Pope Francis told Don Zocco that he used to have a similar car, and it never let him down.
+ © Musei Vaticani/Antoine Mekary for Aleteia