A delegation from the Italian luxury sports car manufacturer met Pope Leo at Castel Gandolfo on May 26.

Pope Leo XIV this week received as a gift the steering wheel of the Ferrari Luce, the Italian brand’s first fully electric car.

Leo also had the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat of the new vehicle, presented by Ferrari as “not only the ‘electric Ferrari,’ but an entirely new Ferrari.”

In a statement, the Italian brand said the meeting with the Holy Father took place at the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo on the morning of Tuesday, May 26, with a Ferrari delegation led by its chairman, John Elkann, and its CEO, Benedetto Vigna.

Pope Leo XIV receives from Ferrari chairman John Elkann the steering wheel of a Ferrari Luce, the Italian luxury sports car manufacturer’s first fully electric car, which the pope got to see during a meeting with a delegation from Ferrari at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, on May 26, 2026. | Credit: Ferrari

Elkann said it was “a great emotion and an immense honor to meet with His Holiness together with my Ferrari colleagues,” noting that it was “a moment of extraordinary human and symbolic value, which inspired everyone in our company to continue on its path with passion, responsibility, and confidence in the future.”

He added that the meeting with Leo was “an occasion that will remain forever etched in our memory and in the history of Ferrari.”

In promoting its new vehicle, the Italian brand highlights both its “mechanical performance” and its “energy efficiency.”

Explaining its corporate environmental vision, Ferrari says on its website that “we are using science-based solutions to reduce emissions, increase energy efficiency, foster the circular economy, and inspire suppliers to join our initiative.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.