Pope Praises Silent Dedication of Italian Police Force who safeguard Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI met this Friday with the Italian State police corps who are assigned to security detail at the Vatican. We have this report....



Three separate security corps create a network of protection for the Pope and the Vatican. They are: the Swiss Guards, whose main duties are guarding the pope and his residence; the Vatican’s own police force, the gendarme corps. responsible for traffic within the Vatican, parking enforcement and permits to enter offices within the walls of Vatican City; and a special branch of the Italian police force, known as the Inspectorate for Public Security at the Vatican.

The Inspectorate 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 Italian police guarantee and coordinate all armed escorts for the Pope, top Vatican officials and important heads of state every time they leave or enter the Vatican.
On Friday Pope Benedict met with this last group of specially trained men and women, thanking them for their daily service and their commitment to assuring the safety of the millions of people who pass beneath their watchful gaze every year.

Indeed pilgrims and tourists to the Vatican can see these officers policing their beat in St. Peter's Square on blue-and-white electric Lamborghini Minis, which more closely resemble golf carts or patrolling the long queues which snake around the perimeter of the Vatican Museum walls.

In his address to the officers Pope Benedict underlined the importance of their task in rendering Rome a safer and more welcoming place for all those who travel to the eternal city to pray at the tombs of the Apostles.

Quoting from his message for the 2008 World Day of Peace entitled “The Human Family Community of Peace”, Pope Benedict noted that “families make up the vast majority of pilgrims to the Vatican”. He praised the “patience, dedication and spirit of sacrifice” of the officers who silently take charge of crowd ensuring the smooth running of the Wednesday audiences and Sunday Angelus. The Pope invited them to “always see in the face of each visitor their own brother or sister”.

“We live alongside one another- concluded the Pope – we are all on the same journey as men and women, brothers and sisters, we are all part of the one great human family”. But “let it be clear that without the transcending foundation that is God, this community of brotherhood will cease to exist, becoming instead an indiscriminate group of people who are little beyond neighbours”.