Pope John Paul has received a Ferrari from the Italian racing team for reportedly having "the inside track on the roads of humanity".
Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher and the rest of the Ferrari team met the Pope in the Vatican's frescoed Clementina Hall to give him the 1:5 scale model of the car that won Ferrari both the championship and constructor title in 2004.
Ferrari President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said Pope's courage and defense of human rights had placed him ''for the past 26 years in the pole position of the roads of humanity''.
The Pope, who rode in a real Ferrari when he visited the carmaker's plant in 1988, addressed the group sports was important for all of society and could spread values such as solidarity among peoples and nations.