Pope Francis was the toast of social media on Wednesday after successfully completing his latest groundbreaking mission: popping out of the Vatican to buy himself some new footwear.
To the barely containable delight of his many fans in cyberspace, the 80-year-old pontiff visited a pharmacy near the Holy See to pick up a pair of the orthopaedic shoes he wears to offset the pain caused by chronic sciatica.
The visit was filmed and snapped on smartphones by a handful of customers who were in the shop at the time and later uploaded images to social media. A selection of pictures was posted on a Facebook page described as belonging to Rome barmaid Martina Duarte with the caption: “A Tuesday with the Pope... My love I am incredibly proud of you!”
Most of online comments were similarly breathless in tone, admirers appearing to share Duarte’s amazement at the sight of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics doing
his own shopping, posing for pictures and blessing a crucifix belonging to one of the
shop’s staff.