The audience was held in the Sala Clementina at the Vatican’s Palazzo Apostolico. Present was a delegation of 95 Ferrari representatives from all the company’s departments, a real cross section of the Maranello team.
President Montezemolo was in attendance with his wife Ludovica. Piero Ferrari and his wife, Floriana, were also there, flanked by Jean Todt, Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and Luca Badoer.

In an atmosphere full of emotion the delegation warmly applauded the entrance of Pope John Paul II. President Montezemolo then gave his thanks and those of Ferrari as a whole. ‘I have the pleasure of presenting the drivers, the mechanics, production line staff, managers and the Ferrari squad. I would also like to greet you on the part of all those at Ferrari who wanted to be here and who are following proceedings live on Telepace’, began Montezemolo. ‘Allow me to do this in your own words drawn from the Enciclica Centesimus Annus, in which you described a company as a “community of people”. Community is the key word, the formula one of our success. Victory is born from a mechanism made of many gears but one soul’.

‘Holy Father, last week when you met the ambassadors from 170 countries, you outlined to them the formula for setting into motion a moral and civil progress. Life, bread, peace and liberty: these are the four challenges you highlighted, showing the world once again how you are in pole position on the road of humanity’.

Montezemolo went on to present the Pope a gift from Ferrari for the 26th year of his papacy, the first ever model of the F2004, in 1:5 scale. ’This is to say that we feel that you are “one of the team”. We feel privileged to be here and this gift is a demonstration of our honour’.

It was John Paul II who then welcomed the Ferrari delegation. ‘I am pleased to receive each and every one of you, representatives of the great Ferrari family that, over the years, has achieved success and won trophies. I would like to compliment you on the latest championship win in particular. I welcome you all with great affection: managers, drivers and technicians who have come to present me with the model of the Formula One car. A special thanks to President Luca di Montezemolo and I thank him also for the words with which he greeted me on your part’.

Paying a thought to all those who were watching at Maranello, John Paul II underlined the importance of sport in today’s daily life.
‘Ferrari is a singular “community of men”, as the President said, in which there is great understanding. Above all there is enthusiasm engendered by the community spirit and from which the notable sporting and industrial success springs. Continue, my dear friends, to nurture this style of work and constantly strive to be make unity one of your main objectives. Spread these sporting values and contribute at the same time to the construction of a more just and united society’.

The Pope then blessed everybody present before each member of the delegation was received in turn with the traditional kissing of the ring. Before leaving the Sala Clementina, the Pope spent a few minutes with Montezemolo, Jean Todt and the drivers who showed him the F2004 and pointed out some of its features. The entire delegation then got together for a group photo. Before leaving the Vatican for Maranello, the Ferrari delegation moved on to the Sistine Chapel for a special private visit.