Pope Leo took a huge “risk” when he travelled in the popemobile for the first time during his inauguration today, according to a security expert.
As he made his way across St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican before being sworn in, the first-ever American pope greeted the throngs of supporters who had gathered to catch a glimpse of him.
The historic ceremony was also drawing in world leaders and royals from all around the world, with US vice president JD Vance grabbing viewers’ attention after kissing his wife.
However, the pope’s contentious choice to reject a significant security precaution also came to light this morning as he walked out to address the throng on top of the popemobile.
A Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460 Pullman, presented to Pope Pius XI in 1930 and featuring silk carpets and embossed doves on the outside, is generally regarded as the first “official” popemobile.
In addition to being a crucial tool for the pope to communicate with his supporters, the popemobile has recently taken on a crucial role as the pope’s last line of defence against assassination attempts.
This followed a significant redesign following a catastrophe in 1981.
Since Mehmet Ali Agca’s assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II that year, the notorious car has been built with bulletproof glass and thick armour to protect the pope from any assassination attempts.
When the attack occurred, Pope John was welcoming his supporters in St. Peter’s Square as he often did when bullets burst from the crowd.
Ağca was given a life sentence after shooting the pope twice, seriously wounding him. His motivations for the assassination attempt are still unknown.
Despite the dangers, Pope Leo has chosen to skip bulletproof glass protection, just like his predecessor Pope Francis did.
Francis explained his choice in a 2014 interview with Spanish media, saying he didn’t like the protected vehicle’s “sardine can” design because he thought it alienated his supporters.
Security expert Will Geddes has now offered his opinion on the contentious choice, acknowledging that he would be extremely “anxious” about it while outlining the two main reasons Pope Leo would be a target.
Of course, the absence of bulletproof glass does not imply that other precautions are not taken.
A security expert’s take on Pope Leo’s lack of protection
Geddes – who has over three decades of experience in the Specialist Security sector – explained to Tyla: “His security team wouldn’t have allowed him to do that and would have strongly advised against it if they felt that they did not have control of the environments he was going to be driving through – and that’s not just on the ground, that’s also the high ground – people spotters, snipers, alike, who are going to be on rooftops who will have a good overwatch of the crowd below.”
“That would also mean that they’ve got good security on the grounds in controlling and searching and testing for anybody who’s coming into that environment, and ensuring that they didn’t have a repeat of the previous assassination attempt [of Pope John Paul] back in 1981.”
A chilling track record
Even so, considering the rather frightening history, it is still advisable to consider the alternative of being protected by bulletproof glass.
“An open top, it’s risky. We’ve seen it with JFK, we’ve seen it with the previous pope [John Paul], we’ve seen it in various other assassinations and attempted assassinations when you have the principal that’s elevated above everyone else so that everyone can see them, with that comes the dilemma of the threat and the increased level of threat,” Geddes tells Tyla.
‘The enemy only has to be lucky once.’
The expert continued by explaining that the decision’shows great levels of confidence his security staff have in the security procedures’, even in light of the threats.
“But I also could see this new pope probably insisting that he didn’t want to be partitioned from the people who had turned up, and that he wants to appear more approachable,” he continued. “We do live in very volatile times, but really it will come down to them believing they have absolute control of that environment.”
“I would still be very anxious because you can never assure 100 percent security. The enemy only has to be lucky once.”
But is Pope Leo really that much of a target? According to Geddes, there are two main factors that could pose a concern.
“The first of which is he’s American,” he tells us. “Secondly, in these times of Islamic extremism – we’ve been seeing this taking place across various parts of the world, Syria is a very good case in point – where Christians have been targeted, they’ve been killed, and there’s almost been very directed actions towards the Christian community.”
“This in itself presents huge threats in that regard, not only by those die-hard Islamic extremists, but also those who might be willing to promote their agenda.”
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