A modified golf cart will accompany Leo XIV during part of his travels in Uruguay, where the Pope arrived this Friday on the first stop of his South American tour. This was explained by Andrés Garofalo, who works in the automotive sector and whose company adapted the vehicle at the request of the Uruguayan Catholic Church, according to EWTN Noticias in its coverage of the Pontiff’s arrival.
“Due to the Pope’s mobility issues, as he underwent surgery recently, although he can walk, he cannot cover five blocks during a visit,” Garofalo stated. According to his account, the ecclesiastical authorities then approached the company president, whom he described as a “well-known” person who “has many unconventional ideas” and “likes challenges.”
A vehicle prepared in ten days
“They gave him the order, he accepted it, and in ten days, we assembled the golf cart and made several modifications,” the businessman added. The vehicle, electric and white, bears the coat of arms of Leo XIV and features a support structure so the Pope can travel standing and greet the faithful, according to reports on its preparation.
The cart will replace walking on the planned stretch between the Executive Tower and Montevideo Cathedral, which the Pontiff had intended to cover on foot. In addition to this vehicle, the Pope will use a conventional popemobile in Uruguay, a Fiat Titano pickup truck adapted in the country.
The first trip after surgery
The visit to Uruguay is the first leg of a trip that will also take Leo XIV to Argentina and Peru, the sixth of his pontificate and the first since the surgical intervention he underwent less than a month ago to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. It is also the first visit by a Pope to Uruguay in 38 years.
The Pontiff’s recovery and the preparations for this trip were already the subject of comments by the Archbishop of Montevideo, Cardinal Daniel Sturla, as reported by InfoVaticana in mid-October. The Vatican, for its part, has denied that the Pope must undergo immunotherapy, according to this outlet reported, as it is a localized pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
The adaptation of the golf cart shows that the organization of the trip has taken into account the Pope’s physical limitations during his convalescence, so that walking distances are reduced to the essential minimum during the twelve-day tour.