MERCEDES-BENZ MARKS LONG HISTORY OF MAKING CARS FOR THE POPE

Pope Leo XIV also met with the executives of the German auto company on Wednesday.

Pope Leo XIV with some executives of Mercedes-Benz after his private audience with them at the Vatican on Oct. 28, 2026. (Photo: Vatican Media)

Mercedes-Benz, the German luxury automaker, celebrated nearly 100 years of producing the popemobile — the pope’s personal vehicle.

To mark the occasion, Pope Leo XIV held a private audience with Mercedes-Benz executives on Wednesday. That same day, the exhibit “A Century of the Popemobile” opened at the Vatican Museums, featuring the first popemobile, gifted to Pope Pius XI in 1930, and the one in which St. John Paul II was shot on May 13, 1981.

Evolving Papal Transportation

In his address to Mercedes-Benz, the Pope praised the company for its enduring partnership with the Vatican and reflected on how papal transportation — from St. Peter to the present — has evolved.

“Over the decades, the Popemobile has evolved from a means of transportation into an instrument of encounter, enabling the pontiff to draw closer to the faithful during pastoral visits and public celebrations,” Leo said.

Pope Leo XIV addresses the executives of Mercedes-Benz during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on Oct. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

“In this way, your work has helped facilitate the Church’s mission of reaching out to people and bringing a message of faith, of hope, and of charity to the world.”

The Pope also encouraged them to direct their innovations toward a more sustainable world, placing their "technological innovation at the service of human dignity, care for creation, and the common good.”

From Carriages to Modern Transport

Papal transportation has evolved since the late Roman Empire, when popes were carried on the “sedia gestatoria” — ornate, ceremonial thrones carried by 12 footmen during processions and major liturgical celebrations.

Pope Pius XI used the Nürburg 460 Pullman, made by Mercedes-Benz, as the first official automobile to transport the pope. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Vatican Museums

From the late 19th century onward, popes increasingly chose modern forms of transportation, with Blessed Pius IX using the first papal train in 1859. The Nürburg 460 Pullman, made by Mercedes-Benz and given to Pope Pius XI in 1930, was the first official automobile used to transport the pope.

The Fiat 1107 - Nuova Campagnola, in which St. John Paul II was shot on May 13, 1981. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News

The word “popemobile” was first used to describe a custom-made Lincoln Continental for St. Paul VI’s 1965 visit to the United States. Popes since St. John Paul II have used the popemobile, with Mercedes-Benz adapting future models for security since his 1981 shooting.

Keeping the Pope Safe

Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the exhibit “A Century of the Popemobile,” the Mercedes-Benz executives spoke with EWTN News, reflecting on the near-century-long partnership with the Vatican.

Marc Langenbrinck, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Italy, described the partnership as a privilege, especially as a Catholic.

“[This day] is just simply the most beautiful day of my career because I am Catholic and I believe, and for me it is something which is a project of a lifetime,” Langenbrinck told EWTN News.

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Marcus Breitschwerdt, executive vice president of Mercedes-Benz, explained the security and accessibility measures implemented in the popemobile.

“Well, first of all, a vehicle has to move safely, comfortably, but also safely in terms of traffic and accident risks,” Breitschwerdt said to EWTN News. “It has to be safely conceived and executed in terms of the current modern risks you face if you are in big crowds.”

Marcus Breitschwerdt, executive vice president of Mercedes-Benz, at the exhibition “A Century of the Popemobile” at the Vatican Museums on Oct. 28, 2026. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News

“So we have armored versions; we have the secured glass Popemobiles, which are very, very sophisticated,” Breitschwerdt added.

Breitschwerdt, in a speech for the exhibit launch, also said that no Mercedes-Benz employee is ever allowed to sit on the pope’s seat in the Popemobile.

“There is a strict rule that no one — not even the mechanics who maintain the vehicles or our CEO — is allowed to sit in the popeʼs seat,” Breitschwerdt said.

- Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News | Vatican

SIX TEAMS HAVE ALREADY QUALIFIED FOR THE 2030 WORLD CUP DUE TO UNIQUE FIFA RULE

The winners of the World Cup will not qualify automatically for the next tournament

Spain absolutely battering Argentina in the World Cup final isn’t the reason why they will automatically qualify for the next tournament in 2030.

Six host nation countries have already secured their places in the next World Cup.

The tournament's three main co-hosts, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, as well as Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will automatically qualify for the next edition in four years time.

FIFA’s 2030 competition will be held from Saturday, 8 June to Sunday, 21 July, with the opening three matches taking place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

These South American countries have been chosen to play first to commemorate 100 years of the World Cup, which was hosted and won by Uruguay in 1930.

Where will the opening 2030 World Cup game be played?

Spain were the best team in the tournament by a mile (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

The opening game will be held at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which boasts a capacity of 100,000.

Estadio Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb, a brand new venue in Paraguay, and the Montevideo in Uruguay will also host opening matches.

After those three games, the World Cup will shift to the Northern Hemisphere in 18 stadiums across Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

Ugly scenes at full-time (Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)

It comes after FIFA boss Gianni Infantino wants to controversially expand the World Cup to a 64-team tournament in 2030 following the success of the expanded 48-team competition this year.

"These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup," Infantino told Blue Sport.

"When organising a World Cup, it's important to organise it for the whole world - not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.

"You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it's getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they'll lack the incentive to keep improving."

No Messi or Ronaldo

The end of an era (Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)

Sadly, the squads of host nations Argentina and Portugal are unlikely to include the two greatest players of all time in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

After Spain’s convincing 1-0 final, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni was full of praise for Messi: “He is 39 years old, it is unbelievable. It was always crystal clear to me that he would play until he chose to stop and that everyone would support him.

“I hope everyone is proud of him, because he is the best football player ever to set foot on a pitch.”

Both Messi and Ronaldo are yet to comment officially on their international futures.

On the result, Scaloni added: “I feel sadness but knowing that we left everything out there.

“I have a lot of things to say about how we got here, but it’s not worth it.

“I want to thank these guys eternally for giving us another World Cup final and for competing until the end. They were better, that’s the truth.

“But I’ll hold on to an enormous memory of what they have done, of what it’s worth to get this far. We have to give it huge validity because it takes a lot to get here.”

Featured Image Credit: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images

- Anish Vij

WORLD CUP WINNERS SINCE 1930

 

THE FIRST WORLD CUP BALL | 1930

 

A GUNNER WARRIOR | TADE DRAKE | ARSENAL FC

 

A 1930s photo of Arsenal's Ted Drake being carried off the pitch unconscious. They brought him back to consciousness and sent him back onto the pitch, where Ted ended up scoring 3 goals and winning the game for the gunners😮‍💨 

What a warrior🔴⚪️

AGA KHAN: FIVE THINGS ABOUT PRINCE OF SPORT

Paris (AFP) – Apart from being an Islamic spiritual leader, the Aga Khan, who died on Tuesday aged 88, was a byword for the biggest and best in the world of horse racing.

The Aga Khan was a central pillar of the racing world since taking over from his father in 1960 © DOMINIQUE FAGET / AFP/File

He owned stables, stud farms and an auction house, his horses winning many of the great races across seven decades.

AFP look at five things about the Aga Khan's sporting world.

- Winter Olympian -

Before he got into racing, the Aga Khan was already a keen skier. "I like the atmosphere in ski racing," he said. "It is a democratic sport. One's name does not count."

The Aga Khan (L) training on the slopes of Val d'Isere with his ski instructor Hans Senger six years after his 1964 venture at the Innsbruck Winter Olympics © - / AFP/File

While too busy to focus full time on the slopes, he was good enough to train with the Austrian team. In 1962 he participated in the world championships at Chamonix as a member of the British team but two years later opted to compete at the Innsbruck Winter Olympics for Iran.

He finished 53rd out of 96 in the giant slalom and 59th out of 84 in the downhill. "It was respectable if not glorious," he said.

Bloodstock

With his grandfather having owned five Derby winners between 1930 and 1952, racing was certainly in the genes but it was not one of the young Aga Khan's passions.

That changed when he suddenly found himself the steward of the family's bloodstock empire when his father was killed in a car crash in Paris in May 1960, dual Classic winner Petite Etoile among the horses to fall to him.

The Aga Khan keeping an eye on the action at the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in July 1961 © - / AFP/File

After some negotiating with his younger brother Amyn and his half-sister Yasmin, Rita Hayworth's daughter, he acquired their 60 percent interest in the stable at Chantilly.

Over the years he expanded to eight stud farms, four located in Ireland in County Kildare and four in Normandy. He also bought the French auction house Arqana in 2006.

"Thoroughbreds can be either a sportsman's hobby or a business," he said. "Where a large stable and a lot of money are involved, obviously racing is no longer a hobby."

His red and green colours became internationally famous, with the Aga Khan name-checked in Peter Sarstedt's 1969 hit song 'Where Do You Go to My Lovely'.

Winners

The Aga Khan amassed 168 Group One winners over the course of his time in racing.

He won the Epsom Derby five times, with Shergar in 1981 followed by Shahrastani, Kahyasi, Sinndar and Harzand.

The Aga Khan was a close friend of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, the pair seen here talking after his horse Harzand won the 2016 Derby at Epsom © GLYN KIRK / AFP/File

He also won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the top race in France, four times, through Akiyda, Sinndar, Dalakhani and Zarkava.

Very close to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, he gave her several racehorses, including Estimate which gave her perhaps her most enjoyable win in the 2013 Ascot Gold Cup.

- Shergar -

Arguments can rage over which was the greatest of the Aga Khan's horses but there is no doubt about which is the most famous.

In 1981, the Michael Stoute-trained Shergar won five of his six races, including the 202nd Epsom Derby by 10 lengths -- still the biggest winning margin in the historic race -- as well as the Irish Derby and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

He was retired to the Aga Khan's Ballymany Stud in County Kildare in Ireland whence the four-year-old was kidnapped on February 8, 1983.

The £2 million ransom was not paid and Shergar was never seen again, believed to have been killed when negotiations stalled.

Suspicion fell on the Irish Republican Army which always denied the charge.

"Ireland was a very unhappy country at the time and I don't think you can hold the people of a country responsible for criminal behaviour," said the Aga Khan. "It is ethically wrong."

Yves Saint-Martin

The Aga Khan's horses attracted the very best jockeys. Walter Swinburn rode Shergar to success in the Derby while Johnny Murtagh steered Sinndar to a brilliant treble in 2000, winning the Derby, Irish Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the space of a few months.

The Aga Khan IV (R) with Yves Saint-Martin after his victory on Akiyda after their 1982 win at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe © Philippe BOUCHON / AFP/File

But French jockey Yves Saint-Martin is perhaps the name most closely associated with him.

He steered Akiyda to the 1982 Arc and also won four Prix du Jockey-Club, with Top Ville in 1979, Darshaan in 1984, Mouktar in 1985 and Natroun in 1987.

Doping

The Aga Khan fell foul of British racing when his filly, Aliysa, was disqualified from the 1989 Oaks after testing positive for camphor, a prohibited substance.

Harzand (L) ridden by Pat Smullen gave the Aga Khan his fifth Epsom Derby victory in 2016 © GLYN KIRK / AFP/File

He felt there were failings in the testing system and removed all of his horses, only ending his boycott at Royal Ascot in 1995. Another positive test in 2000 saw him withdraw his horses from Luca Cumani's stables in Newmarket.

He retained horses with Stoute but focused more on France. It was Irish trainer Dermot Weld who provided a fifth Derby and Irish Derby double in 2016 with Harzand, and the Aga Khan's last British Classic winner Ezeliya in 2024.

© 2025 AFP

MANCHESTER UNITED HIT A HISTORIC LOW

MANCHESTER, England -- There has been a simmering discontent at Manchester United for a while now, but at Old Trafford on Monday night the dial was turned up to near mutiny in a loss to Newcastle United.

With just 30 minutes gone and Man United already 2-0 down, Joshua Zirkzee was substituted by head coach Ruben Amorim. Any of the 11 players could have been replaced -- they were all that bad in a shocking first half hour -- but it was Zirkzee who bore the brunt from the irate supporters in the stands.

When Zirkzee's number went up, there were loud cheers around the stadium. The Dutchman, only signed from Bologna in the summer, grabbed his coat and jogged down the tunnel to scattered jeers. He emerged again moments later to take his place on the bench. When the half-time whistle blew, there were boos from all four sides of Old Trafford. There were more at full-time, although by then a large number of the fans who turned up had long since decided it was time to go home.

It's now four straight defeats for Man United and six in their past eight games. For the first time since the 1978-79 season, they've lost three consecutive league games at Old Trafford. Three Premier League defeats in a row mean they will start 2025 in 14th, just seven points above the drop zone.

Man United's woes have reached the point where Amorim is being asked about the possibility of relegation.

"It is really hard on everybody and you can feel it," Amorim said after the 2-0 loss. "We show some improvement in the first games especially against [Manchester] City and Tottenham but we are losing that because of the lack of training and belief after so many losses. It is a really tough moment for everybody.

"It is a bit embarrassing to be Manchester United coach and lose a lot of games. I think our club needs a shock and we have to understand that."

There was little shock that Newcastle were by far the better team and deserved to win their first league game at Old Trafford for more than a decade. Man United managed to calm some of the anger with a more competent second-half performance, but by then the damage had already been done.

Alexander Isak scored for the sixth game in a row after just four minutes to make it 1-0. Before 20 minutes had elapsed, Joelinton made it 2-0. It could have been much worse. Isak had a goal ruled out through offside, and Sandro Tonali hit the post when he should have scored.

Only then did Zirkzee come off. He was replaced by Kobbie Mainoo and Man United finally turned up to play. By half-time, Newcastle had taken 11 shots at André Onana's goal. As the game drifted towards its conclusion, the travelling Newcastle fans sang, "You're getting sacked in the morning," at Amorim.

After the initial optimism of his arrival to replace Erik ten Hag in November, it has been a bruising December for the Portuguese coach with Premier League defeats to Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Wolves and now Newcastle. Man United haven't lost five league games in a calendar month since 1962.

Throw in the Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham and it's six losses in all competitions, a low point not seen since September 1930. For the first time in more than 100 years, a Manchester United manager has lost five of their first eight league games.

Casemiro, left, and Harry Maguire react with anguish in Manchester United's latest loss on Monday, this time to Newcastle United in Premier League play. Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images

The question, though, is whether it's Amorim or the players who should be shouldering the blame. For now, Amorim is refusing to criticise his squad despite further evidence week after week that the majority are not good enough.

He's routinely peppered with questions about his 3-4-3 system and whether he will -- eventually -- have to adapt. But his formation had nothing to do with Isak having a free header six yards out after getting in between Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez to head past Onana.

It had nothing to do with Joelinton bulldozing Martinez out of the way to head in the second. It had nothing to do with all the missed tackles and missed passes.

"I am responsible," said Amorim. "I don't like to arrive here and make excuses. I think people are tired of excuses in this club. I never watch a coach winning games by not protecting the players. What I have to say to the players I say in the dressing room. "I have to sell my idea. If I change all the time it is going to be even worse. It is a very difficult moment and we have to fight for the next game and to also have a performance."

Writing in his programme notes ahead of the game, Amorim said he had "no doubt" that the run of miserable form "will not last forever." It is, however, unlikely to end immediately with United scheduled to visit runaway leaders Liverpool next weekend.

Defeat at Anfield would send Amorim and his players deeper into the mire. The anger is already deepening, the mood worsening by the day.

Even for a club that has made a habit of lurching from crisis to crisis, United are reaching new levels of despair.

- Rob Dawson, Correspondent

1930-31 FINAL LEAGUE DIVISION 1 TABLE