‘Very few policemen’ for Pope Benedict XVI visit in 2010 – Vatican spokesman

Vatican chief spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi has downplayed the security given to Pope Benedict XVI  during his pastoral visit to Malta last year.

“I remember that in Malta there were very few policemen...” Fr Lombardi told the world media last Sunday in Freiburg, Germany, as he answered questions related to the security arrangements organised by the German police for last weekend’s Papal visit, which also involved a shooting incident in Erfurt.

Caught in the midst of a controversy sparked by the German media on what was described as the “eccessive” security for Pope Benedict’s visit to his homeland, the Vatican spokesman said that “security is an issue which changes in each individual hosting country,” adding that he remembered “very few police in Malta, but plenty in Turkey.”

But Fr Lombardi’s assessment of the “few police” that were entrusted with the security for Pope Benedict XVI is debatable, given the fact that almost the entire police force, military and Civil Protection were deployed for three whole days.

Not only was the security tight, with limited overhead aviation and a harbour blockade during the Papal visit in April 2010, but the security services were constantly monitoring social media and arrested and charged 21-year-old Internet user for passing a disparaging remark on the Pope on Facebook.

In addition, an inquiry was launched into the vandalism of two billboards depicting the Pope with a welcome message on them. Separately, a graffito depicting the Pope as Death armed with a scythe was painted over within hours of its appearance.

A senior police officer told MaltaToday that contrary to Fr Lombardi’s, the large deployment of police officers and army during his visit last year, is reflected in the huge cost that the Maltese taxpayers covered to guarantee that security.

Of the almost €1 million that were spent on the Papal visit to Malta, more than half financed the huge security organisation, where police officers were out in full force in every corner of the Papal route, and among the crowds that attended the activities.

But last weekend’s statement by Fr Lombardi is also contradicted by his own comments on the eve of the Pope’s arrival to Malta, where he was quoted as saying: “there is a real fear that protests will be an issue during the visit by the Pope to Malta and as a result precautions are being taken. The itinerary is not being changed, but there is concern and as a result an increase in vigilance.''

Fr Lombardi was referring to concerns about reports that sex abuse victims were to hold a protest during the visit, but the victims themselves opted to respect the Pontiff and cancelled the event.

Shortly after the Papal mass on the Granaries, a number of sex abuse victims were secretly escorted by the police from the Archishop’s residence in Attard to the Nuncio’s palace in Tal-Virtu where they had a private meeting with Pope Benedict.

The meeting was described as “highly emotional” and received worldwide publicity.

Pope Benedict and Fr Lombardi had later sent a telegram to the Maltese government thanking the Maltese people and the security forces for a job well done and a successful visit.

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