"Green Pope" To Get Hybrid Popemobile From Mercedes

Just the Facts:

• Pope Benedict XVI will get the Vatican's first green popemobile — an M-Class hybrid from Mercedes-Benz.
• Benedict is widely known in Europe as the "green pope" for his support of environmental causes and sustainable development.
• The M-Class hybrid will be part of a fleet of armored and specially equipped Mercedes-Benz vehicles at the Vatican's disposal.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI, widely known in Europe as the "green pope" for his support of environmental causes and sustainable development, will get the Vatican's first green popemobile — an M-Class hybrid from Mercedes-Benz.

According to the German business paper Wirtschaftswoche, the hybrid-electric crossover will be fitted with lithium-ion batteries and will be capable of running nearly 20 miles on pure electricity.

Benedict last year reportedly considered a solar-powered pure-electric Popemobile, but his advisors recommended a hybrid, supposedly because of its ability to power out of potentially threatening situations.

During his six-year pontificate, Benedict has promoted the idea of sustainability and resource conservation, while turning the Vatican into a carbon-neutral state. Among other steps, Vatican City has planted a 37-acre forest and installed photovoltaic cells on the roof of the papal audience hall and a solar cooling system in one of its cafeterias.

In his 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth). Benedict addressed global environmental and energy issues within the context of ethics and social values. He has also lectured world leaders on sustainable economic development and renewable energy.

The new Popemobile, to be delivered late this year or early next, will join a stable of six or seven heavily armored Mercedes-Benz cars and utility vehicles that range from two modified Gelandewagens to an S-Class limousine.

The German automaker has supplied the Vatican with Popemobiles for more than 80 years. The very first Popemobile was a 1930 Mercedes-Benz Nurburg 460 Pullman limousine, delivered to Pope Pius XI. The Vatican's current fleet includes a 2002 M430, built for the previous pontiff, John Paul II, as well as a 2007 G500 cabriolet and a 2008 G500 hardtop built for the German-born Benedict.

The latter two models, according to Mercedes, are painted Vatican Mystic White.

Inside Line says: If the Pope were really forward-looking, he'd be talking up hydrogen fuel cells.