Forget the Batmobile, have you ever heard of the Popemobile?
It's an actual bulletproof vehicle in which the Pope is chauffeured around for public appearances. As you can see in the image above, previous Pope Benedict XVI made good use of it. Current Pope Francis, however, is known to have modest taste in cars, and prefers to ride around in a Ford Focus while in the Vatican City. For his upcoming visit to South Korea, the Pope has decided to once again ditch the Popemobile for a cuter ride made by a Korean company. He requested for a small car, and will be provided with a Kia Soul.
From August 14 to 18, the Pope will be cruising around Korea in this baby. Although the Kia Soul is not necessarily the smallest car, among the smaller mobiles it has the highest safety rating.
Aside from showing off his sweet ride, the Pope is on a tight schedule during his very first visit to Korea. It has been 25 years since the last Pope has graced the country with his presence, so Pope Francis's visit will be one to generate great excitement among the Korean Catholic community for sure. During his visit, the Pope will be holding four masses, which will include a visit to President Park Geun Hye at the Blue House, a meeting with the victims of the tragic Sewol Ferry incident, and the beatification of 124 Korean martyrs who were executed in the late 18th century for their religious faith.
During the 18th and 19th century, an estimated number of 10,000 Korean Catholics were executed for their religion. Yun Ji Chung (or Paul Yun) is known as the very first Korean Catholic martyr. He, along with his nephew, was beheaded in 1791 for obeying a Catholic decree and burning his ancestral tablet instead of heeding the Confucian government at the time. The Pope will be beatifying* him along with 123 other martyrs on August 15, thus honoring the Korean Catholic history of persevering despite persecution.
*Beatification is a Catholic event in which the Pope formally declares that an individual has entered heaven. It is the third step in a four-step process, which results in the sainthood of that individual as a religious figure.
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