A group of workers at Ford's Chicago Assembly plant knew that they were working on a very special copy of the Ford Explorer. What they didn't know was just how special it was. It had custom hand-stitched seats and custom sill plates. It even had an engine that shouldn't have been allowed.Now that it's done, they've finally learned about the customer. This Explorer SUV was on a mission for God. It was commissioned by Ford CEO Jim Farley himself and built for the Deep Dish Pope. That would be Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago. Like Deep Dish Pizza, The Explorer And Pope Leo Are Chicago Through And Through Ford Ford is planning a video on the making of the Pope-splorer, but it shared the news through a recent press release. The special SUV is already in the hands of His Holiness and being put to use. Farley, his wife, and the Bishop of Rome took the SUV for a spin around Vatican City."Pope Leo XIV has deep roots on Chicago’s South Side – just like Ford. And we thought it would be especially fitting for him to drive an Explorer built at our Chicago Assembly Plant," Farley said.FordAccording to the Detroit Free Press, Ford was told that the Vicar of Jesus Christ wanted his Explorer painted black and to be a hybrid. Normally, you can't get a hybrid Explorer, it's only offered in the Police Interceptor model. But someone pulled off a miracle and made it happen.The special Explorer started with a Frankincense Platinum trim SUV, but Ford's team went all Michelangelo on the interior. It doesn't have frescoes, but it does have a Chicago skyline stitched on the rear of the center armrest.There are special City of Chicago flags on the seats. The familiar four-star motif sticks out of the side of the piping like the Swedish flags that Volvo loves to show off on its own seats. The door sill plates, which show the Chicago skyline on one side and then St. Peter's Basilica on the other, are another cool touch. Holy Roller Was Delivered By Farley Himself Ford Once it was done, the team was finally told who the Explorer was for. Though the Basilica might have tipped some of them off. Then they added some more touches, like empty boxes from the Servant of the Servants of God's favorite pizza joint. Another one was a sign that said "Da Pope," a nod to a classic Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Farley's cousin Chris as one of several Chicago Bears superfans.One of the assembly workers, Adolphus Harper, already knew the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church from when a pre-papal Cardinal Robert Prevost was one of his high school teachers. "I graduated from Saint Rita in 1986, so knowing that the Pope, who once taught me, is now driving something I helped assemble — it’s unbelievable."A Ford spokesperson said that the gift was originally meant to stay a secret. That's a classy move, because while the Pope is often gifted high-end vehicles, the companies doing it do anything but stay silent. The automaker decided to change that only after the Vatican and the Michigan Catholic Central Conference posted about it."I can confirm the Holy Father enjoys driving a sporty ride," Farley said.We imagine he liked the Explorer, too.Ford Explorer_Pope Leo XIV_01 - Copy