Meanwhile: Pope gets stuck in elevator

Thousands waited anxiously for Pope Francis to appear at the window of the Apostolic Palace to say the Angelus on Sunday. When he arrived, seven minutes late, he apologised for the delay, explaining that he had been trapped in a lift for 25 minutes. The fault was apparently caused by a drop in voltage, causing the lift to stop. Francis thanked firefighters for rescuing him: “Thank God the fire brigade came,” he said. “Let’s hear it for the fire brigade!”

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The Vatican pharm­acy may be 145 years old, but it’s moving with the times. It has installed a robot to fetch medications from the stockroom and deliver them to customers. The new system will reduce customer waiting time by 30 per cent, all­owing pharmacists more time to give instructions and advice to customers. The Vatican pharmacy handles some 2,000 customers a day, and claims to be the busiest pharmacy in the world. St John of God Brother Binish Thomas Mulackal, the pharm­acy’s director, said the automated technology would revolutionise the pharmacy’s service. The robot will receive its own treatment to protect it from viruses, he said: regular software updates.