The popemobiles in which Leo XIV will travel during his visit have already arrived in Spain. The Police and the Air Force distributed images this Sunday of the transfer and custody of the cars that the pontiff will use between June 6 and 12 in Madrid, Catalonia, and the Canary Islands. One of them has traveled to Madrid, where it will be guarded by the Central Protection Unit of the General Commissariat of Citizen Security of the Police. And the other has been sent to Barcelona. Both flew from Rome aboard Air Force planes and were then transported on a platform truck, covered by a tarp. The operation has been coordinated by the Army and the National Police.
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The scheduled visit for Leo XIV will take place across four different provinces, two of them insular: Madrid, Barcelona, Gran Canaria, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The popemobile sent to Madrid will be the same one used on his trip to the Canary Islands. The two vehicles traveled on military Airbus A400M Atlas planes, with great capacity and designed to move vehicles or equipment. From them descended two white Mercedes Benz off-road vehicles, with the upper part open and identical license plates: SCV 1. The initials mean Stato della Città del Vaticano (State of the Vatican City) and the number 1 indicates that it is the main vehicle reserved for the Supreme Pontiff.
The popemobile allows the pontiff to greet the faithful during his travels. It usually has distinctive features, such as a white body and a red carpet inside, and is designed to guarantee the Pope’s security.
Leo XIV’s visit has been declared an event of special public interest by the Government. It will gather a large number of people, with gatherings that may exceed one million attendees. To organize it, the Executive has held more than 80 coordination meetings between different administrations and institutions.
The Ministry of the Interior has issued a specific security instruction to identify possible risks, prepare the plans of the Security Forces and Corps, and devices in the different places of the visit.
The security plans will include a protection device for the Pope and members of the delegation, and the deployment of a special device on the routes, places planned for visits, and celebrations officiated by the pontiff. During the critical phase, from June 6 to 12, there will be coordination and command centers in the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which will include representatives from all the bodies involved in the special security plan.
