Pope’s day out to buy new footwear

Pope Francis. A file photo

Pope Francis was the toast of social media on Wednesday after successfully completing his latest ground-breaking mission: popping out of the Vatican to buy himself some new footwear.

To the delight of his many fans in cyberspace, the 80-year-old pontiff visited a pharmacy near the Holy See on Tuesday 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 and shared on social media.

A selection of pictures were posted on a Facebook page belonging to Rome barmaid Martina Duarte with the caption: “A Tuesday with the Pope... my love I am incredibly proud of you!”

Most of the online comments were similarly breathless in tone.

One commenter on Italian daily

La Repubblica’s site called for Pope Francis to be immediately installed as the new mayor of Rome, while another simply noted, presumably with a disbelieving shake of the head: “The greatness of this man!” — AFP