The Church of St. Alfonzo Maria del Liguori on the outskirts of Rome had over 200 people come out for a live nativity scene on Sunday.

All of those people along with everyone participating in the event were shocked when a 1984 Renault 4 parked and Pope Francis climbed from the driver’s seat.

Father Dario Criscuoli, the parish priest who organized the large-scale nativity scene that included live animals, had invited the Pope to the nativity. The priest was as surprised as the congregants by the Pope’s sudden appearance.

“The pope was so happy. He told me “Keep it up. Don’t get discouraged,” Criscuoli told the Daily Independent.

The Pope walked around the ground shaking hands but clearly was focused on approaching the manger where 2-month-old baby Francesco was portraying the Baby Jesus. Francesco had been baptized in the church that morning and the Pope picked him up and gave a special blessing to the child.

The Pope then called on everyone to pray for the children born in 2014 and especially for their grandparents, whom the Pope called “the source of wisdom.”