“No, more important.” “The governor?” “More.” “A celebrity?” The officer exhaled slowly. “Sir, I don’t know who he is exactly—but the Pope is driving him.”
There was a long silence on the radio. Finally, the sergeant cleared his throat and said, “In that case, just issue a warning… respectfully.” The officer nodded, returned to the limousine, and with the utmost politeness explained that while the drive had been impressive, the speed limit still applied—even on special occasions.
The Pope listened attentively, thanked the officer for his service, and promised to slow down. As the limousine pulled back onto the road at a perfectly reasonable pace, the driver glanced over and smiled. Sometimes, the story later shared wasn’t about the speed, the stop, or even the joke—it was about the reminder that humility, humor, and humanity can appear in the most unexpected places, even behind the wheel of a limousine on a New York street.
