Pope Francis arrived late for his weekly address in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, explaining that he had been stuck in an elevator in the Vatican for 25 minutes and had to be freed by firefighters.
"I have to beg your pardon," the smiling pontiff said as he started the address about 10 minutes late.
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He then explained that there had been an electrical power problem in the Vatican and that he had been stuck in the elevator until freed by Vatican fire officers.
"A round of applause for the fire brigade," he told the crowd.
His predicament caused much merriment on social media, with Washington Post reporter Elizabeth Bruenig suggesting it was a "masonic plot" gone wrong.
Others joked that the Pope had been in need of some divine intervention, and wondered whether he'd prayed for the elevator to start working while he was trapped.
Reuters/Newshub.
