Vatican may join anti-terror body
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican is considering whether to join the European Union’s anti-terrorism body, Eurojust, in a bid to increase security, an official said Saturday.
Vatican City’s chief prosecutor, Nicola Picardi, said the increased threat of international terrorism required new forms of cooperation among countries.
In October, the Vatican successfully joined Interpol, and the Vatican’s Gendarmeria has been attending meetings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe since 2006, he said.
While only 492 people live in Vatican City, some 18 million pilgrims and tourists pass through Bernini’s splendid colonnade to enter St. Peter’s Basilica or visit the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums each year.
As a result, crime does happen here - Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square 1981.
Nowadays, though, the most serious crimes usually involve petty theft. Since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, however, security measures have been significantly beefed up, with visitors now required to pass through metal detectors to enter the Basilica and attend audiences with the pope.
Picardi, the Vatican’s so-called “promoter of justice,” proposed the Eurojust membership as he outlined the state of law and order in the tribunals of the Vatican city-state during a ceremony to start the Vatican’s judicial year. – AP
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