Pope Francis's new ‘Popemobile’ from Mercedes draws ire of netizens: ‘Woke mockery of a papacy cannot end soon enough’

Pope Francis has been at the centre of criticism for his stance on several aspects, such as homosexuality and the death penalty, among others. This time, he is being criticised for his electric car.

On Wednesday (local time), the Vatican revealed the first all-electric 'Popemobile,' a Mercedes G-Class that will have zero carbon emissions. 

Pope Francis, who has always advocated for climate protection, will drive his new car through St. Peter's Square to greet pilgrims.

The electric car features an elevated, rotating heated chair for the Pope and rear platforms for the Swiss Guards. It is painted in the traditional papal colour of white and adorned with two crests displaying the Pope's symbol on both sides.

‘Somebody tell them how nothing is reusable’

While several netizens were in awe of the features of the new car, majority of the people took to X to mock Pope Francis.

“This woke mockery of a papacy cannot end soon enough,” commented one user.

A second user elaborated on how none of the parts of the electric car were re-usable. Somebody should tell them how nothing is reusable on those things & it takes more gas to extract the lithium than you’ll save in its entire lifetime," wrote the user.

“It's what he think is important,” commented another user.

Amid all these comments, one user further took the opportunity to criticise the Pope's dressing sense. “Black trousers really don't go with a white cassock,” posted the user.

Pope Francis' electric car

Chief Executive Ola Källenius and engineers involved in the special project personally presented the custom-made vehicle to Pope Francis at the Vatican.

“Producing cars for the papacy has been a special honour for our company,” Källenius stated, reported AFP. The Stuttgart-based automaker has been supplying the Vatican with Popemobiles for the past 45 years, according to the company.