Pope Francis had to be rescued by firefighters earlier today after becoming trapped in a Vatican lift.
He arrived seven minutes late to his traditional noon appearance in St Peter’s Square in front of the public and apologised to the waiting crowd for the delay.
He is believed to have been trapped for around 25 minutes in the lift before firefighters were able to free him.
Addressing the public, Pope Francis – apparently referring to an electrical fault – said a ‘drop in tension’ had caused the lift to block.
He told onlookers that Holy See firefighters had come to his aid, and asked those in the square to applaud them for their efforts.