Any visitor to the Vatican is likely to see the odd bishop sweeping through St Peter’s square dressed in cassock, pectoral cross and a flash of purple. During a synod – attended by prelates from across the world – this is even more common as bishops each day make their way to the Paul VI audience hall or aula. At the recent synod various modes of travel were used by church leaders. Some bishops were driven in by assistants in modest-looking cars while those in the Roman Curia arrived in sleeker vehicles with blacked-out windows and the letters “SCV” on the number plate, denoting that the cars are officially registered to the Vatican City State. And one of the latter drove in a BMW 4x4. Another group of bishops travelled en masse to the aula each day in a mini