The thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to hear Pope Francis’ weekly Sunday homily were confused when at noon the pope failed to appear.
After a while, Francis emerged at the window of the Apostolic Palace and gave an explanation.
“First of all, I must excuse myself for being late. I was blocked in an elevator for 25 minutes,” the 82-year-old pope explained to the audience. He said there was an issue with the electrical power, which created a “drop in tension” and caused the lift to stall.
“Thank God the firefighters intervened,” Francis said, asking for a round of applause for those who rescued him.
Francis went on to deliver his typical blessings and remarks to the crowd. He also announced that he had chosen 13 people to become the Roman Catholic Church’s newest cardinals.
Two of the newest cardinals, who are charged with electing a new pope among other tasks, have worked to help migrants. Some of the 13 he selected come from developing countries, including Cuba, Congo, and Guatemala. Two come from countries where Christians are in the minority: Morocco and Indonesia.
“Their provenance expresses the missionary vocation of the Church to continue to announce the merciful love of God to all men on Earth,” Francis said of the men.
