The humility and spontaneity Pope Francis has shown during his first months of leading the Catholic Church has won him the sympathy of believers around the world, who were not used to a Pope being so close to the people.
In a demonstration of his warmth, Francis lightened the mood of one of his official acts on Wednesday at the Vatican when he invited an old friend of his, an Argentinian priest, to go for a rise with him on the Popemobile around St. Peter's Square.
According to information published by The Guardian, Buenos Aires priest Fabián Báez didn't have a special pass to get close to where the Pope would talk with some believers on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
Despite this, when Francis saw him in the audience, he didn't hesitate to ask his security team to help Báez jump the safety barrier and meet with him.
When the Argentinian priest reached the Pope, Francis hugged him and invited him to ride along, to Báez' surprise.
"I asked myself, what am I doing here? Mamma mia!" Báez told the press shortly after the act was over, The Star reported this morning in its website.
"The Pope laughed and said: 'Come, sit, sit!' and then he continued to greet people and kiss babies. I was very moved," Báez said.
This isn't the first time Pope Francis breaks Papal protocol. In the months leading the Church, the Argentinian Pope has made the position of Pope much more approachable than what was common with previous Popes.