Jubilee, the Italian police for the safety of pilgrims: interview with Antonino Messineo, director of the Vatican Inspectorate

(To Emma Evangelista)
22/01/25

The Holy Doors of the Basilicas of Rome have been opened and the celebrations for the Jubilee 2025 have begun.

A multitude of faithful from all over the world will pass through the doors of St. Peter's to ask for plenary indulgence and less than a month after the solemn opening, 545.532 pilgrims have already passed through the Holy Door.1

The safety of the people who will go to St. Peter's is one of the main concerns of the organizational machine, managed by the Inspectorate of Public Security "Vatican", under the control of Antonino Messineo, general manager of the State Police with many years of experience and skills that have led him, over the years, to hold high-profile and highly committed positions in the anti-mafia investigative departments, from Palermo to Caserta, to then arrive at the Inspectorate of Palazzo Madama and finally at the Inspectorate of Public Security "Vatican".

Messineo, with women and men of the State Police, is committed to the protection of one of the most representative figures in the world: Pope Francis and all those who will go to St. Peter's Square in this Jubilee Year. The “Vatican” PS Inspectorate, in fact, is entrusted with both the protection of the pontiff in his travels in Rome and throughout the national territory, and the security of the Vatican area inside the colonnade. The “Vatican” PS Inspectorate was officially born in 1945 and is the only one of its kind to carry out security tasks in a foreign country.

Doctor Messineo, tell us what the tasks of this Inspectorate are.

It is a structure that has many responsibilities, even more evident now: with the Jubilee, most of the events will take place right inside St. Peter's Square and this will involve a series of activities to guarantee the safety of the faithful and of the Supreme Pontiff who, inside the square, carries out his mission: to stay close to the people of God, that is, to the pilgrims who will come to the city of Rome.

Precisely to guarantee maximum safety, for five years now, with a decree in June 2020, the Chief of Police has established within the “Vatican” Police Inspectorate theFirst Response Operations Unit (UOPI), made up of highly specialized personnel, capable of dealing with particularly critical situations and countering any form of violent threat in St. Peter's Square.

What numbers do you expect?

According to Vatican estimates, approximately 30 million people will travel to Rome during the year, and the majority of the Jubilee events (about thirty key appointments) will be concentrated in St. Peter's Square.

This will involve coordination with all national security actors: we have in fact been working for a year now to prepare to manage these events in the most appropriate way, so that pilgrims can access places of worship without worries.

By nature, I am a person who makes planning and programming the purpose of his work; more than in repression, I believe a lot in prevention. Doing prevention means knowing the operational theater and prefiguring all the responses within that specific framework of action, so that the event does not turn into something uncomfortable, dangerous, even for those who intervene.

You follow the Holy Father outside of St. Peter's Square, what is the biggest problem?

The “Vatican” PS Inspectorate is responsible for ensuring the safety of the Pope and therefore also that of the theatres of operations where he will go to carry out his pastoral work throughout the national territory. In this activity, the Office relies mainly on the police structures in the territory. Compared to an institutional figure or a political leader, it is much more difficult to prepare security systems for the Pope, because he is a personality who needs to be among the people, who wants to have direct contact with “his people”.

How is the Square managed?

Usually there are about 20-30 thousand people who enter St. Peter's Square every day; during the Jubilee we will probably manage a greater influx, and since we are dealing with faithful and pilgrims we must have the right sensitivity towards them, a human and kind approach.

How do you train your staff?

What makes the difference in every workplace is the human component. Technology is certainly very important: it helps you in your work to develop analysis activities, knowledge of the territory, of people, and of everything that happens on the web and that can reveal any pitfalls behind every event. But all this must be subordinated to human intelligence. I always say, maybe I'm a bit vintage because I have forty years of police behind me, but I am convinced that human intelligence and the professionalism of the operator, in any field, are fundamental.

Technology is useful and, specifically, the new operations room allows us to monitor St. Peter's Square in a timely manner: dozens of cameras allow us to focus attention on every corner of the square, with a resolution that gives us a great level of precision and vision.

For the Jubilee, we have increased both the number of X-ray equipment, which detects the presence of potentially offensive materials, and the number of personnel authorised to carry out the relevant security checks for access to St. Peter's Square. Furthermore, a small team operates in this Inspectorate. task force of intelligence that scans the web every day, social media and open sources, looking for any critical issues that could compromise the smooth running of events and the public order services organized to manage them. The terrorist threat, in fact, has imposed over the years greater attention in our work, without however forgetting those who, even just for visibility, could try to carry out protest actions, not permitted, in St. Peter's Square.

How many men does he have under his command?

About two hundred men.

And what about those of UOPI?

There are 14 operators who alternate, always present in St. Peter's Square, and who move with me in the security services and close protection of the Supreme Pontiff, both on the occasion of his travels in Rome as bishop of the Urbe, and throughout the national territory as head of the Catholic Church. Specifically, this Unit, whose personnel also have the qualification as escort operator, is also used as GIR (Rapid Intervention Group), the third specialized vehicle of the escort device for the Pope.

How do you manage attention and post-event work?

At the end of each public order service in St. Peter's Square or close protection service at Holy Father, I usually gather the Inspectorate staff for a debriefing. In that place we analyze any critical issues that have occurred, because from every unexpected event we can learn something to deal with future situations in the most appropriate way. I like it when unexpected events happen, obviously not harmful, that help you grow and therefore better manage subsequent events. I always tell my collaborators: "we can make a mistake once, the second time we can't make a mistake again".

You have had a long career in the Police with very important commands, from Sicily to Rome. What did you bring to this Inspectorate?

I always say that the fundamental thing is to work with passion: in every office you bring the experience that helps you manage any type of work. With experience you also acquire confidence; I have never transmitted anxiety to the staff under my direction, because if I did I would induce them to make mistakes, there is no doubt about it.

A little fear, however, is essential, because fear makes you alert and gets you moving, fear turns into the right consideration of the events that lie ahead. We work well with the awareness of having done everything possible, so as not to have to reproach ourselves for anything: we will try to experience everything that will happen during the Jubilee with this type of approach. Obviously, in the management of the Jubilee events we will not be alone, but we will be supported by all the interested bodies: the Police Headquarters, the Prefecture and the Municipality of Rome, the other Police Forces, the Vatican Gendarmerie, the Civil Protection and all the volunteers.

What is the relationship with the Vatican Gendarmerie?

The relationship is one of friendship and collaboration, necessary first of all to best guarantee the escort service to the Pope, and secondly the safety of all those who want to meet the Pontiff. Furthermore, the State Police shares the Patron Saint, Saint Michael the Archangel, with the Vatican Gendarmerie, and this is why for several years we have celebrated his anniversary together on September 29.

Your first memory of this service?

March 17, 2023 was my first escort service at Holy Father, in a church in Rome and on that occasion I met Him, I introduced myself to Him as the person responsible for security on Italian soil and it is an indelible memory: after all, it is not an everyday thing to meet and work with the Pope!

What are the crimes or difficulties that you have recorded the most in the square in the last year?

There are no major crimes, as in other areas we are careful of pickpockets, but here the situations to manage are not dangerous, but above all uncomfortable. Specifically, in the last year the number of homeless people who live permanently in the area has grown. They are people we know, the Holy Father He is very attentive to their needs, and that is why we are often close to their needs too.

1 from the Vatican's Iubilaeum2025.va website

Photo: Antonio Morlupi