LIMA (REUTERS) - Pope Francis may have divine inspiration but not divine inflation: on Friday (Jan 19), he suffered what millions of ordinary people have to deal with - a flat tyre.

While the Pope was being driven into Lima from the airport, one of the wheels of the Fiat 500 that was taking him into the city began losing air on the highway.

After his motorcade came to a halt, he calmly exited the car while his security detail surveyed the damage.

Without missing a beat, he got into a black, unmarked security car behind him, before being switched to yet a third vehicle, and continued the ride to the presidential palace, television footage showed.

Pope Francis has shunned the bulletproof limousines used by his predecessors, opting for simple cars both in Rome and on his overseas travels.