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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Isabel Keane

Ford secretly built an SUV for Pope Leo in his hometown of Chicago - with custom pontiff plates

American car manufacturer Ford has secretly built Pope Leo XIV a custom SUV, decked with pontiff plates that read “DA POPE” AND “LEO XIV.”

Dozens of employees at Ford’s Chicago Assembly plant, in the pope’s hometown, worked on a custom 2026 Ford Exploder Platinum hybrid, which CEO Jim Farley and his wife, Lia, delivered to the Vatican on February 28.

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