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. 1st 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.