Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Pope’s unpredictability challenges security planners

Pope’s unpredictability challenges security planners

Last updated on: July 24, 2013 at 12:35 pm by CNA Daily News

Pope’s unpredictability challenges security planners 2013-07-24T12:35:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jul 24, 2013 / 06:35 am (CNA).- The rules for the Pope’s security during international trips have had to change since Pope Francis was elected, bringing into focus the tension between safety and pastoral priorities.

When he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio walked through the streets, and took buses and the subway, so when he became Pope he did not want to follow the normal security protocols and asked his security team to allow him to be “as close to people as I can.”

And those new rules were evident on July 22, the first day of the Pope’s visit to Rio de Janeiro for the 28th World Youth Day.

The regular security procedures required Pope Francis to travel from the airport to Rio de Janeiro’s downtown in the so-called popemobile, a special car that permits onlookers to see him, while also keeping the pontiff protected behind bulletproof glass.

But Pope Francis found this way of moving to be too far removed from people. He did not want to use the popemobile, and preferred to use a small car as he does when he is in Rome, where he uses a Ford Focus.

In the hours that followed, crowds of eager pilgrims broke through security lines and stopped his car as they tried to touch the Pope and greet him. The papal convoy also ended up taking a wrong turn and getting stuck in traffic, a turn of events that alarmed the security detail.

Pope Francis, on the other hand, seemed to be pleased to be so enthusiastically welcomed, going so far as to lower the windows of his car to make physical contact with the people who approached his car.

Luckily, nothing happened.

In a July 23 news release the Brazilian authorities denied responsibility for the diversion in the Pope’s itinerary and attributed the decision to “the wish of the Holy Father to stay in touch with the most people he can.”

But the fact is that the Brazilian security forces are being strongly tested by Pope Francis’ unpredictability.

Yesterday, for example, Pope Francis had no official appointments scheduled, but he suddenly announced that he wanted to visit Corcovado, the mountain near Rio de Janeiro where the famous Christ the Redeemer statue stands.

It would have been a risky outing since a forest surrounds Corcovado and the access points to it are narrow, as well as the fact that the security detail would have had little time to plan the outing.

But the security personnel were able to convince the Pope that it was not a good idea to go because of the weather and cold temperatures.

It is likely that the coming days will present more divergences from the Pope’s itinerary, not less, as he alluded to during the flight to Rio de Janeiro, telling journalists that “there will be a lot” of unscheduled events.

The careful balance between safety and bringing the Pope’s ministry to the people has a long history.

In 1964, during his visit to Jerusalem, the crowd separated Pope Paul VI from his bodyguards. Paul VI wanted to walk on foot along the “Via Dolorosa” that Jesus took as he ascended Mount Calvary.

The Pope ended up being completely surrounded by a crowd, so the Jordanian soldiers protecting him led him into the nearby Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

During his trip to Philippines in 1970, a deranged Bolivian tried to assassinate Paul VI with a knife.

The Pope’s life was saved by Monsignor Paul Marcinkus who helped fight off the attacker. Later, Paul VI acknowledged how grateful he was by appointing Msgr. Marcinkus the head of the Institute for Religious Works, the so-called Vatican bank.

John Paul II was also the target of two assassination attempts: the first was carried out by Mehmet Ali Agca in Rome on May 13, 1981, while the second was attempted by a Spanish priest, Juan Maria Fernandez y Krohn, in Fatima on May 12, 1982.

These kinds of episodes and the inevitable demonstrations by groups trying to grab the international news spotlight resulted in a strengthening of the security protocols during the papal visits.

Although no large-scale protests are expected in Rio during Pope Francis’ visit, several demonstrations against the Brazilian government are planned.

These manifestations first appeared while the Pope was visiting President Dilma Roussef on July 22, but the protestors were repelled by tear gas after one of them reportedly lobbed a Molotov cocktail at police.

According to Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, the Pope “had to use a helicopter to avoid the protestors” as he left the governmental palace.

On Sunday, the day before the Pope’s arrival, a homemade bomb was discovered in a public bathroom adjacent to a parking lot at the Marian shrine of Aparecida, where the Holy Father is paying a visit on Wednesday morning.

In fact, an attempted bombing or attack against the Pope is often tried during a papal trip.

When Benedict XVI went to London in 2010, together with reports on the protests against the Pope’s visit came the news that police arrested six men for allegedly plotting to attack the Pope.

In 2011, before the Benedict XVI’s trip to Germany, two Muslims were arrested while allegedly planning to make a chemical bomb to attack the Pope.

However, an Italian policeman who is familiar with papal trips and who asked for anonymity told CNA July 23 that “those bombs are made to be found, not to explode. There are often secret services that place the bomb, so the police can find and defuse the bomb or arrest alleged people, thus gaining more trust from the population and a sense of general tranquility which can avoid riots.”

Americas

Previous Post

July 24, 2013

Pope rearranges Rio schedule to meet with Argentine youth

Next Post

July 24, 2013 Vatican diplomat named new Edinburgh archbishop

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was primary method of land transfer?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Verbal agreement Witness testimony Written deed Oath