Pope thanks Inspectorate for Public Security for commitment to public safety
Vatican news
Pope Francis thanks the Italian Public Security Inspectorate of Vatican City, responsible for ensuring security in and around St. Peter’s Square, and invites them to take advantage of the Holy Doors of St. Peter and others papal basilicas.
By Christopher Wells
On the occasion of his annual audience with members of the Italian Public Security Inspectorate of Vatican City on Thursday, Pope Francis thanked its directors and police officers for their work, carried out “with dedication, professionalism and generosity” . He particularly expressed his gratitude to them for ensuring the safety of the Pope and his collaborators, pilgrims and tourists around St. Peter’s Square, as well as all those who participate in his pastoral visits throughout Italy.
Serving the common good
“You can rightly be proud to live and act in the service of the common good,” the Pope told them, “while remaining humble, which allows you to recognize your need for help, blessing, redemption and to keep your heart open to God’s grace.
The Vatican City Public Security Inspectorate is a division of the Italian State Police, and therefore distinct from the Vatican Gendarmerie and the Pontifical Swiss Guard. The Inspectorate’s missions mainly focus on security and maintaining public order on Saint-Pierre Square.
During his speech, Pope Francis stressed that the work of Inspectorate agents requires courage, self-sacrifice, attention to detail, patience and the willingness to make sacrifices. At the same time, he recognized that their important service often remains unrecognized: “Security… is an “invisible” good whose importance we realize precisely when, for whatever reason, it is lacking; and which is built in the continuous and intelligent commitment to vigilance, night and day, every day of the year.
Prayers for a peaceful jubilee year
While expressing his hope for a peaceful jubilee year, Pope Francis took the opportunity to invite the police officers to take advantage of the Holy Doors open at Saint Peter’s and in the other papal basilicas. “Passing the Holy Door is not a magical act,” said the Pope, but “a Christian symbol which expresses the desire to start again, to renew oneself, or rather to let oneself be renewed by God.”
It is an opportunity, he continued, even for those who “do not recognize” in themselves “the gift of faith”, to take time for reflection and inner renewal, “so that the celebrations and ancient symbols of the Church become an opportunity for renewal for all, giving hope.
Finally, Pope Francis once again assured the members of the Inspection of his gratitude and prayers for them and their families, with a particular prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Michael the Archangel – the heavenly patrons of the Inspection – for their protection. .
Vatican news
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