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!
