Vatican City, Sep 1, 2019 / 05:34 am
Pope Francis begged the pardon of the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square Sunday, explaining that he was late because he had gotten stuck in a Vatican elevator and had to wait for help from the fire department.
"First of all, I have to apologize for the delay, but there was an accident: I was locked in the elevator for 25 minutes!" the pope said Sept. 1, after arriving seven minutes late for the noon Angelus and reflection.
He explained that "there was a drop in voltage and the elevator stopped. Thank God the fire department came – I thank them so much! – and after 25 minutes of work they managed to make it go. A round of applause for the fire department!"
Pope Francis is usually very punctual for the regular Sunday appointment, for which he reads a short reflection and then prays a traditional Marian prayer, either the Angelus or the Regina Coeli, from a window inside the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's Square.