In 1981, Pope John Paul II was on his way to a weekly appearance at St Peter’s Square
in Rome, blissfully unaware that by the end of the day he’d be fighting for his life
in hospital.
With crowds of adoring masses waving at him and reaching their hands out from both sides
of the road, the air was filled with love and admiration, just like always.
But, in a few split seconds, everything changed.
A gunshot.
Screams ran out from within the crowd and multiple people fell to the floor, including
Pope John Paul II.
Someone within the crowd had just fired at the Pope – not once, not twice, but four
times.
You could cut the tension with a knife as the hordes of people tried to rush to the
defense of the old man, detain his attacker, and help the other people who had been taken
down.
One bystander managed to knock the weapon from the shooter’s hands before any further
damage could be done – but the Pope was already bleeding, and everyone was afraid
it was already too late to help him.
What just happened?
The person who shot the Pope was a 23-year-old Turkish man who had previously been arrested
in his country but somehow managed to escape and make it all the way to Vatican City.
Luckily, it seemed that the Pope really was blessed, because each shot narrowly missed
him.
The first hit his abdomen but just avoided the vital organs, the second got his hand,
and the third and fourth shots caught other unlucky passers-by instead.
It was a close blow, and the damage left the Pope fighting for his life, but he survived,
and in true papal fashion was offering forgiveness to his assailant just four days later.
You might think that what happened that day in 1981 was just a one-off, freak incident,
and to a certain extent it was – it’s not very often that you get prisoners escaping
to hunt down the Pope.
But being the head of the Catholic Church is arguably one of the most dangerous jobs
in the world.
If you thought being a President or Prime Minister was bad, try being a leader who has
to be in close proximity with the public and even physically touch your admirers as part
of the job.
I don’t remember the last time Donald Trump was driven in an open car with throngs of
people close by, like Pope John Paul II was on the day he was shot.
It’s extremely hazardous, and not just because of the commoner germs.
It’s not surprising that Pope John Paul II wasn’t the first Pope people have tried
to kill.
Some attempts have been successful, too.
Three Popes have been strangled, two poisoned, three murdered through unknown means, and
one killed through ill-treatment.
One Pope was even smothered with a pillow!
The eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries were particularly dangerous times to be the head
of the Catholic Church, with almost all the murders happening around this period.
It’s maybe not that surprising a few Popes have met grisly ends since they’ve been
around for quite a while.
A thousand years is a long time to go without a few hiccups, but you probably wouldn’t
get many people today attempting to smother the Pope with a pillow today.
But when it comes to the Holy One, it’s best to err on the side of caution.
So, after the assassination attempt in the 1980s, officials have upped the ante on the
security procedures.
But just how protected is the man in the white?
From a Popemobile with bulletproof glass to a dedicated army, the Catholics certainly
aren’t taking any chances.
One of the reasons the assassination attempt in the 80s was such a close call is that the
Pope was riding in an open car whilst passing through the busy square.
I’m not saying he asked for it, but come on.
So, the powers-that-be decided it would be best to introduce some more heavy-duty solutions.
Introducing the bulletproof Popemobile.
Yes, you heard that right – not a Batmobile, but a Popemobile.
That’s actually the official name for the custom vehicle used to transport the pope
around for public appearances.
At first glance, the Popemobile doesn’t exactly look like the most secure vehicle
on the world – it’s kind of like a throne on wheels that allows everyone in the crowd
to see the Pope.
But there are many designs of the ecclesial vehicle, and some are actually extremely protective.
The most heavy-duty Popemobile weights 24 tonnes and can withstand small-arms fire,
whilst other cars have armoring and glass cover.
The riskier the situation is deemed to be, the more secure a vehicle is chosen.
The safest of all is the Mercedes M-Class Popemobile, complete with armor plating that’s
two inches thick, a blast-proof underbelly and bullet-proof glass.
Having said that, the current Pope is a bit of a rebel and often opts to use the least
secure vehicles imaginable whenever he can get away with it, claiming the bulletproof
glass distances him from people.
Instead, he’s been spotted driving around in a 1984 Renault 4.
He must really believe that there’s a guy up there looking out for him.
But if he’s ever let down, he has an entire armed force to look out for him.
The Pontifical Swiss Guard are a group of guards whose main responsibility is to protect
the Pope and the palace.
If you’ve ever visited Vatican City state, you’ve probably seen them in their yellow-,
blue-, and red-striped uniforms and plumed helmets.
Their bright get-up might make them look more like cartoon characters than a force to be
reckoned with, but don’t underestimate them.
Unlike the bulletproof Popemobile, the Swiss Guard are hardly a new creation – they’ve
been around since the Renaissance.
You might not expect a place like the Vatican City to suffer from frequent invasions, but
it was often attacked before becoming a state, which inspired the establishment of the guard.
Back when they were established, the Swiss Guard were renowned for being better fighters
than just about anyone else – they could compete against much larger armies and defeat
them.
Nowadays, to join the Swiss Guard, the minimum requirements are to complete basic training
with the Swiss military and achieve a certificate of good conduct.
Oh, and you also need to be at least 174cm tall.
You’ll also need to stand out by showing your dedication, prowess, and military capabilities
– the army is composed of just over 100 men and they’re all hand-selected.
The Swiss Guard is just as modern and adept as the protection forces of most other major
nations.
The guards are trained for crowd control, VIP protection, surveillance, and using weapons.
They have traditionally used the sword and the halberd, a two-handed pole weapon, and
they’re still genuinely trained to use them.
Along with these vintage weapons, they also hold more modern firepower such as the Sig
P220, a semi-automatic pistol made by Sig Sauer that has an excellent reputation for
its high quality.
As well as having its own armed forces, the Vatican City state also has its own police
force.
They have a similarly pretentious name – the Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City State – but
you can just call them the Vatican Police if you’d prefer.
Although their main job is to protect the Vatican City at large rather than just the
Pope, you can be sure they’re planning for and monitoring his safety every step of the
way.
Their main duties include security, helping the Swiss Guard during the Pope’s public
appearances, and carrying out investigations.
They also have a counter-assault team and an anti-sabotage unit for the disposal of
explosives and use their own weapons.
The Corps use pistols and submachine guns, plus machine pistols and shotguns.
They also have batons, tasers, pepper sprays, tear gas, and pretty much anything else you
could dream up.
Basically, they’re a force to be reckoned with.
To ensure the Vatican police can carry out their job effectively, they have a 24-hour
operations and control room, so whenever an emergency crops up, it can be dealt with swiftly.
They’ve even been a member of Interpol since 2008 and share information about crimes with
them, so don’t be fooled into thinking that the Vatican City state is some weird not-a-real-country
place where you can get away with just about anything.
In the past, the Pope was also protected by the Noble Guard and the Palatine Guard.
The Noble Guard was a unit of household guards that served the Pope in his home.
They’d escort him around Rome and stay outside his accommodation at old times – kind of
like vintage bodyguards.
But although the Noble Guard originally carried pistols, after 1870 they started to only carry
sabers and to be present at ceremonial duties only.
Plus, they were just volunteers.
All in all, you wouldn’t want to rely wholly on them for your security.
The Palatine Guard were more like a military unit designed to watch over Rome and the Vatican,
but they were possibly even more useless than the Noble Guard.
They were also part-time volunteers, mostly just performed ceremonial duties, and they
lacked modern weapons or any actual training.
Unsurprisingly, both the Noble Guard and the Palatine Guard were abolished in 1970 to change
the image of the Pope and the Vatican and simplify the security offering.
They probably realized that having so many forces carrying out just slightly different
jobs was a tad excessive and not very effective.
These days, the old Noble Guard have been replaced by standard bodyguards.
The Inspector-General of the Vatican Police works as the Pope’s principal personal bodyguard,
so he really has the highest qualified person at his disposal.
During the Pope’s travels, the Inspector General is usually at the front of the Popemobile,
so he’ll be ready to spring to action if anything goes wrong again – as long as he
isn’t shot first, anyway.
And don’t be fooled if you ever see the Pope walking around with seemingly nobody
to accompany him – rest assured he has plenty of people by his side at all times.
They might not be wearing the bright uniform of the Swiss Guard, but a few of its officers
are often a few steps behind the Pope in public, dressed in plain clothes and carrying a concealed
small weapon with them.
At least, that’s how the plan goes.
The current Pope Francis can certainly be a handful to protect whilst traveling and
has been known to disregard official security operating procedures in favor of doing his
own thing.
He’s known as the People’s Pope and tries to move about freely instead of sticking to
the Popemobile.
Pope Francis sees it as part of his mission to break down formalities within the Church
and wants to be more welcoming and accessible to ordinary Catholics.
It sounds like a lovely idea and I want to support him, but ditching the bulletproof
glass and the guards doesn’t exactly make the job of security easy.
In the past, the Pope has had to apologize to security teams for his loose style.
How are you supposed to look after someone who is constantly wandering off and talking
to strangers?
Even if the Pope doesn’t go AWOL, protecting him can be difficult.
As part of their show of adoration, crowds of Catholics like to throw items at the Pope,
such as flags and dolls.
The Church doesn’t want to ban this important ritual, but it keeps security on their feet.
Is that a grenade or a toy?
As a result, authorities have often had to resort to some strange and novel measures.
These include banning selfie sticks and drones, postponing the postal service ready for his
arrival, and shutting down streets in case he needs to evacuate quickly.
When the Pope visited the US, a Presidential motorcade followed him wherever he went, the
President’s convoy ensured the leader had the highest security possible.
More than just a few vehicles, the convoy has its own contingency response force, communications,
office, press corps, and even medical facilities – think the White House but on wheels.
He was also accompanied by Marine One helicopters, ensuring that if an emergency or special circumstance
should arise, security would literally be there above him and ready to swoop in.
They’re usually only employed for presidential airlifts or high-level state visits, so the
Pope really got some special treatment.
When the Pope visits other countries, it’s common practice for the government of the
nation to provide the Pope with some of their own security too, so the Vatican Police and
Swiss Guard work with local police or military to come up with site plans.
The US has provided the Pope with the help of the Secret Service in previous visits.
Not every country has a Presidential motorcade complete with helicopters, though.
As a last resort, the Vatican City features a secret – so sssh, don’t tell anyone
– passageway that spans half a mile from the back of the Basilica among the aqueducts
of Rome to the Castel Sant’Angelo.
Set up in the thirteenth century, it’s one of the oldest security procedures introduced
to protect the Pope, and was used in 1527 for Pope Clement VII to escape during the
Siege of Rome.
It’s probably not that reliable for protection these days since it’s become something of
a tourist trap and pretty much everyone knows it’s there, but maybe it could be used as
a double-bluff type of thing.
So, I’d say the Pope is pretty well protected.
In fact, it seems like his greatest enemy is himself – just stick to the plan, dude.
If you’re not all Poped out, check out our videos about the most evil popes in history
or how much power the pope really has.
Click one now, and keep the watch party going!