The pope was trapped in the Vatican elevator …

Pope Francis explained that he was late for the traditional Sunday prayer of the Angelus, as he had been stuck in a Vatican elevator and had to be rescued by firefighters.

After telling the story of his "rescue", he made a surprise announcement about the creation of new "princes" of the Church, with purple capelo, of which ten are among those who could succeed him as pontiff.

"I have to apologize for being late." I was locked in an elevator for 25 minutes due to a power outage, but the firefighters arrived, "said the pontiff, a senior citizen. 82 years old, smiling.

"A firefighter's applause," he suggested. The crowd at his feet reacts between his applause.

Francisco arrived seven minutes late, sparking the anxiety of Italian TVs broadcasting the Angelus live, warning that there was an almost unprecedented incident.

The pope seems to have unlimited energy despite his age and, in his youth, most of a lung was removed. In addition, a spontaneous grimace reveals the discomfort caused by almost chronic sciatica.

"There was a moment of great concern about what could have happened to him," said Vania De Luca, Vatican expert for Rai News.

Likewise, the pope has declared himself "concerned" with ecology, especially the fires that devastate the Amazon rainforest, "this vital lung for our planet".

"We are concerned about the great fires that are occurring in the Amazon, this forest lung is vital for our planet," said the pontiff to the crowd of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.

Urging the 1.3 billion Catholics of the world to "pray that, thanks to everyone's commitment, these fires will be extinguished as soon as possible".

Francisco, elected pontiff in March 2013, met in May the indigenous leader Raoni, who had traveled to warn Europe about deforestation in the Amazon.