Pope goes out to buy shoes

Vatican City: Pope Francis was the toast of the social media on Wednesday after successfully completing his latest groundbreaking mission: popping out of the Vatican to buy himself some new footwear.

To the barely containable delight of his many fans in cyberspace, the 80-year-old pontiff visited a pharmacy near the Holy See on Tuesday to pick up a pair of the orthopaedic shoes he wears to offset the pain caused by chronic sciatica. The visit was filmed and snapped on smartphones by a handful of customers who were in the shop at the time and later uploaded images to social media.

A selection of pictures was posted on a Facebook page described as belonging to Rome barmaid Martina Duarte with the caption: “A Tuesday with the Pope... my love I am incredibly proud of you!”

Most of the online comments were similarly breathless in tone, amazed at the sight of the Pope doing his own shopping and posing for pictures.