United States – A perfume manufacturer in the state of California has released a fragrance named in honour of Pope Francis. Excelsis Fine Fragrances, which was originally founded in 2005 to recreate the cologne worn by Pope Pius IX and has since offered colognes such as Benedictus has now released Francis, billing it as fragrance “humble and down to earth” in character to reflect the current Pope’s own characteristics. Mainly a mix of bergamot and sandalwood, the Francis scent is, according to Excelsis chief, Frederick Hass, “subtle and dignified”. He added that feedback from early consumers has described the fragrance variously as “gentle”, “simple” and “heavenly”.