On Saturday June 4th, 1988 something happened akin to a miracle at Fiorano. It had already been visited over the years by a series of presidents and kings, actors and politicians, sportsmen and show business personalities, but this time the doors of Ferrari headquarters were opened for a special guest: Pope John Paul II. The visit, organized by way of Team Manager Marco Piccinini's excellent relations with the Vatican, had a purely pastoral purpose, with the blessing of the factory and a Holy Mass at the Fiorano circuit. But even before the day began, the implications of the event for the mass media had far exceeded every expectation.

When the Pope arrived at Ferrari, the only person missing was Enzo Ferrari himself. His increasingly grave health condition had confined the Constructor to his Modena house: only a telephone call connected the two Grand Old Men, the Pope taking Ferrari's call inside the headquarters at the Ferrari circuit.

A few hours later, a sudden idea presented the world with a totally unprecedented image. When the Pope was just about to get into his bullet-proof Land Rover for the blessing during a lap at the track, someone objected, in all good faith, that at Fiorano a similar moment "must" take place in a Ferrari car. And Pope John Paul, far from being embarrassed, immediately got into a Mondial 8 driven by Piero Ferrari. He remained standing up, holding on to the windscreen for an entire lap, blessing an enthusiastic crowd of Ferrari workers and employees, guests, journalists and photographers from all over the world thrilled by what was happening right before their very eyes.

Pictures of the Pontiff in the Ferrari Mondial 8 went all around the world and were published worldwide in newspapers and magazines.

©VEA