An Italian pastor has donated a used Renault 4 with 186,000 miles to
Pope Francis, in response to the exhortation he made to priests and
seminarians in July to live simply and humbly. Father Renzo Roca, 69, who is pastor of St. Lucy Parish in Pescantina,
wrote to the Holy Father offering to donate his car, according to news
reports out of the Vatican. The car was delivered to the Pontiff on September 7 at St. Martha’s
Residence, shortly before the beginning of the Vigil for Peace which the
Holy Father led in St. Peter’s Square that evening. “When I gave it to him, we got into the car, but I didn’t have to
explain anything to the Pope because he told me that he also used a
Renault 4 in Argentina and that it never left him stranded,” Father Roca
said. After receiving the car, the Pope rode together with Father Roca to meet
with the group of faithful that traveled with him to Rome. During the brief encounter, a young man gave the Pope a t-shirt and
Father Roca explained that “normally we sell the shirts for five Euros
to raise money for parish activities, but we gave it to him for free.” However, the Pope said he would pay for it. “He took out his wallet and gave us ten Euros and asked for change.
Luckily I had five Euros in my pocket. Incredible,” Father Roca said. He also joked that a Swiss guard standing nearby told him, “Now we are
going to be a little worried because we’ll have to watch what Pope
Francis does with that Renault 4.”
The release of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s note, Mater Populi Fidelis , on November 4, 2025, seems to have sparked some immediate and widespread confusion, driven largely by sensationalist headlines from secular sources. In response to requests, particularly surrounding a potential Fifth Marian Dogma of Spiritual Maternity , the DDF addressed the usage of titles like Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix. Unfortunately, this has led to a large contingent online and in the media claiming that the Church has "tossed out" centuries of doctrine, with some outside the Church even proclaiming a "victory" over Catholic teaching (This may be the saddest part of it all, that we as Christians, are "competing" with each other). It is essential to understand that this doctrinal note is fundamentally about titles and clarity, not doctrine and change according to the Vatican News. The true teachings regarding Mary's unique role in salvation remain inviolabl...