VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- From horse-drawn ornate wooden carriages to a bulletproof all-electric vehicle, the papal modes of transport have evolved to keep the pope safe, seen and saving the planet.The first time a car was offered to a pope was after the 1903 election of St. Pius X when the Archdiocese of New York donated one, said Sandro Barbagallo, curator of historical collections at the Vatican Museums."But the pope refused it," he told reporters at a new exhibit featuring select popemobiles Oct. 28.The pope politely declined the gift, he said, in part because a car was useless at the time since a dispute with the Italian government over the sovereignty of the Holy See kept popes confined to Vatican City from 1870 to 1929, and because he preferred walking in the Vatican Gardens and hearing "the sound of horses' hooves along the path rather than the sound of an internal combustion engine."However, the pope's limited opportunities to travel didn't stop other eager Cat

ROME (CNS) -- The first U.S.-born pope is very much looking forward to eventually visiting his native country even as he prepares to head to Latin America -- his seventh papal trip abroad after his election a year and a half ago, the Vatican foreign minister said."Obviously a visit to the United States is very likely, I would say, in the not-too-distant future," said Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states and international organizations, at the foreign press club in Rome Oct. 27."Whether it'll be '27 or later, I really don't know," he said, since "one of the things that will influence it is eventually the American elections." Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, is seen speaking during a news conference at the Vatican in this file photo from Jan. 18, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) Once the midterm elections are over this fall, then the window of opportunity might open in 2027, he said, addin