Pope Francis rescued by firefighters after getting stuck in lift
The crowd gathered outside the Apostolic Palace for the Sunday Angelus cheered louder than usual as Pope Francis appeared at the window on Sunday. The 82-year-old pontiff was atypically 25 minutes late, albeit with good reason. Addressing the crowd at St Peter's Square in the Vatican, the Pope revealed that he had been stuck in a lift and had to be rescued by firefighters.
After appearing late for the Angelus, the Pope apologized for the delay as he smiled at the crowd. He then explained that due to an electrical problem, he was stuck in an elevator for 25 minutes and only made it out once the firefighters arrived. The Pope had left many worried that the delay might have been due to health reasons, AFP reported.
"I must apologize for the delay", the Pope said, "but there was an incident: I was locked in the elevator for 25 minutes! There was a drop in voltage and the elevator stopped." He added, "Thank God the Fire Brigade came- thank you so much. After 25 minutes of work, they managed to get it to go. Let's hear it for the Fire Brigade!"
After extending his apologies and explaining why he was late, the Pope announced that he would create ten new Roman Catholic cardinals next month. He said that the places where the new cardinals come from express the missionary vocation of the Church. Additionally, he nominated two Archbishops and a Bishop, who served the Church in a distinguished way.
