Pope Francis did it again on Thursday - that is slip out of Vatican to purchase a pair of new eyeglasses in Rome.
BBC reports that the pontiff attracted crowds in Rome when they saw the head of the Roman Catholic Church entering an optician's shop. However, unlike when he was new in the Holy See and could walk around to reach a destination, the former Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio regrets not being able to do that now.
He arrived in Rome aboard a black car, accompanied by an aide, a bodyguard and several police officers.
One German tourist told the Associated Press that he failed to see the pope earlier that day when he went to St. Peter's Square. However, the tourist got the surprise of his life to see Pope Francis trying on new glasses.
The optical shop usually delivers glasses to Vatican, but the pope wanted a brief change of scenery. Pope Francis admits to missing walking in the city like he used to do in the Argentinean capital city and feeling "a little penned in" in Vatican.
The pope did not go to the other pricey optical shops in the Spanish Steps section of the Italian capital city but preferred the smaller eyewear shop on Via del Babuino. He told Alessandro Spiezia, the shop's proprietor, "I don't want a whole new set of frames, just new lenses," quotes USA Today.
He asked Spiezia to charge him for the new lenses. It was Spiezia who made the pontiff's new glasses in 2014, and the pope was so satisfied he called the shop to fill a new prescription. Spiezia said he was supposed to deliver the new pair to Pope Francis on Wednesday.
The pope spent 40 minutes in the shop, which included an eye exam. He left the shop aboard his Ford Focus with a new pair of specs to oversee the 2-billion strong Roman Catholic Church undergoing reform under his care.