Pope meets Inspectorate for Public Security at the Vatican

(January 13, 2013) Justice is not simply a human convention. When in the name of supposed justice, the criteria of utility, profit and material possession dominate, the value and dignity of human beings can be trampled underfoot, Pope Benedict XVI warned on Friday. His remarks came in his annual post-Christmas meeting with the Inspectorate for Public Security at the Vatican, the Italian state police in charge of law and order in and around St. Peter’s Square. In his talk to the group, Pope Benedict evoked the theme of his Jan. 1^st World Day of Peace message – ‘Educating Young People in Justice and Peace’. He noted that in 2011 in various parts of the world, Christians have been targets and victims of violence, with many having to pay with their lives for belonging to Christ and the Church. “Justice,” the Pope explained, “is a virtue which guides the human will, prompting us to give others what is due to them…” “Likewise, peace is not the mere absence of war, or the result of man's actions to avoid conflict; it is, above all, a gift of God which must be implored with faith, and which has the way to its fulfilment in Jesus.” The Pope said true peace must be built daily with the compassion, solidarity, fraternity and collaboration of each one. The Holy Father urged the men and women police of the Inspectorate “to always be true promoters of justice and sincere builders of peace”.
Pope Benedict XVI also acknowledged that it is not an easy task to maintain of public order, especially in an area heavily visited by tourists and pilgrims from every part of the world,. He thanked the officials and personnel of the Inspectorate for their ‘precious and delicate work’ carried out each day. The Pontiff further noted that the See of Peter is central to Christianity, and Catholics world over want to visit it at least once in their life time to pray at the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul. Such a presence, both of the Holy See as well as the vast cosmopolitan crowds coming to visit the centre of the Catholic Church, is certainly not a problem for the city of Rome and for the whole of Italia. Rather, it is a richness and matter of pride, the Pope added.
The Inspectorate for Public Security at the Vatican was established in 1929 when the Vatican and the Italian government signed the Lateran Pacts formally recognizing the Vatican's independence. Since the Vatican is surrounded by Italian territory, the agreement allowed Italian police to provide for the pope's security when he leaves Vatican City. The Italian police guarantee and coordinate all armed escort for the pope, some top Vatican officials and important heads of state every time they leave or head to the Vatican. The Italian police provide security and law enforcement in St. Peter's Square and the entrance area of the Vatican Museums. Two other separate entities also combine to keep watch over the Pope and the Vatican – the colourful Swiss Guards and the Vatican Police force.