Nfter a minor incident on Thursday evening, a debate broke out again in Rome about possibly insufficient security precautions in the Vatican. In the incident, a man with his car had approached the control point at the entrance to Vatican City at the eastern Sant’Anna gate shortly after 8 p.m. There he was turned back by the Swiss Guards, who control all entrances and approaches to the enclave, because he did not have the required entry permit.
After the man had initially reversed, he accelerated and raced through the open gate in the direction of Damasushof, passing the checkpoints of the Swiss Guard and the Gendarmerie, which were staggered about 20 meters apart. A gendarmerie inspector fired his service pistol at the vehicle’s front tires, but only hit the left fender. At the Damasus Court, the central courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, the man stopped his car and got out. There he was taken into custody.
On Friday, the approximately 40-year-old man was still in one of the cells of the gendarmerie barracks in Vatican City. According to Italian media, a medical examination of the man revealed a “severe mental impairment”. The man stated that he had “seen the devil”. At the time of the incident, Pope Francis was believed to be having dinner at the Santa Marta guest house in the western part of Vatican City, where his apartment is located.
Question about the safety precautions
The fact that a person was able to get into the backyard of the Apostolic Palace in a small Fiat Panda van raises questions about security at the Vatican. There has been speculation in the Italian media about what a suicide bomber in a vehicle laden with explosives could have done in the heart of the Vatican.
State guests are driven up to the Damasushof to be received by the Pope in a private audience in the Apostolic Palace. The private chambers of the popes, which Francis has not used since his papal election in 2013, as well as important reception rooms are also located in the Apostolic Palace. After the incident, a general alarm was sounded by radio, whereupon the security personnel closed all access gates and entrances to the Vatican.
The Ascension Day incident was not the first in the Vatican. At the mass on Christmas Eve 2009, a mentally disturbed woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter’s Basilica and turned to Pope Benedict XVI. tried to fall, but was unharmed.
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