Dear Pope Francis: Please Take Care of Yourself–If Not for You, Then for Us

“Not to worry!” says the Vatican, with regard to security for Pope Francis’ upcoming travels to the Muslim-majority country of Albania.

In a statement issued Monday, September 15, Rev. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said despite recent “worrying” events that had shocked the world, there is no specific threat to 77-year-old Pope Francis as he prepares for his one-day visit to Albania on Sept. 21.  Therefore, the Vatican has announced, no extra security measures will be added.

*     *     *     *     *

But on Tuesday, September 16, Iraq’s Ambassador to the Holy See Habeeb Al Sadr warned that there have been credible threats against the Holy Father, and that his life is in danger.  The pope, he says, “has made himself a target by speaking out against ISIS and the atrocities suffered by Christians in Iraq and Syria.” According to the Ambassador:

“What has been declared by the self-declared Islamic State is clear–they want to kill the pope. The threats against the pope are credible. I believe they could try to kill him during one of his overseas trips or even in Rome. There are members of ISIL who are not Arabs but Canadian, American, French, British, also Italians.”

*     *     *     *     *

So who’s right?

I’m afraid it’s Al Sadr, whose experience and political acumen exceed that of Vatican officials–with the result that he is better prepared to understand and analyze Islamic messages and to predict their behaviors.

I understand that Pope Francis’s deep humility makes him reluctant to focus on himself and his own personal needs.  The shepherd, he says, should “smell like the sheep”–and he wants to be there, with his sheep, with the people he leads.   Sometimes, though, he needs to be mindful, not of his personal wants, but of the singular importance of his divinely issued mission.  Pope Francis, as leader of 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, has expressed his desire to go “to the periphery.”  But the Pope is a target in good times; and with the special challenge of Islamic hatred fueling violence around the world, this is not a time for business-as-usual.

The open-topped Jeep, the minimal security staff, the broadly publicized agenda–these are evidence that Rome is not taking seriously the very real threat of Islamic militancy.

Your Holiness, the world needs your message.  Your characteristic trust and openness has a certain charm–but this is not the appropriate response to this very real threat.  Please reconsider the plans for this week’s trip, and accept the security staff and special protections which will ensure a successful visit to Albania, and a successful trip back to Rome.

*     *     *     *     *

UPDATE:  At his General Audience in St. Peter’s Square today, September 17, Pope Francis invited people to pray for him as he prepares for his upcoming visit to Albania.  He said:

“Next Sunday, with God’s help, I will go in Albania. I decided to visit this country because it has suffered so much because of a terrible atheist regime and is now realizing peaceful coexistence among its various religious components.”

Vatican Radio reports that the Pope also expressed special greetings to the Albanian people and thanked them for making his visit possible.  And concluding, he asked people to accompany him with prayer, through the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel.