News:

You are not signed in as a Premium user; we rely on Premium users to support our news reporting. Sign in or Sign up today!

VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - The head of the Pontifical Swiss Guard is warning Catholics to expect an Islamist strike against the Vatican. Speaking in the wake of the August 17 Islamic State assaults on Barcelona and Cambrils, Commander Christoph Graf suggested last week it is likely "only a matter of time before an attack like that happens in Rome."

"But," he added, "we are ready," noting precautionary measures are already in place.



Graf's comments coincide with recent remarks by Vatican Secretary of State Cdl. Pietro Parolin, who admitted recently the prospect of Islamist attacks are of concern to the Holy See. "Obviously, one cannot help but worry," Parolin said, condemning terrorism as "senseless hatred." Terror group Islamic State (ISIS) has made frequent use of the pope and the Vatican in its propaganda, vowing its fighters will take Rome and overthrow the Holy See. ISIS has described Italy as "signed with the blood of the Cross" and featured photoshopped images of its black flag flying over St. Peter's Square. Recently, ISIS reiterated this threat in a new video from the Philippines. Recorded during a June assault on the southern Philippine city of Marawi, the footage depicts ISIS-affiliated fighters desecrating a Catholic church, toppling a crucifix, smashing statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph and tearing pictures of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI to shreds before burning the church to the ground. During the video, the terrorists vow to break "the religion of the Cross," warning, "Remember this, you kuffar [non-Muslims], we will be in Rome, we will be in Rome." ISIS magazine depicting a conquered Vatican.

After perpetrating massacres in Paris and Brussels, ISIS vowed next to strike London, Berlin and Rome. London and Berlin were both hit, but for now, Rome has escaped attack.

In April 2016, Italian law enforcement foiled an ISIS plot to attack the Vatican. Police intercepted communication between two would-be terrorists, in which one told another, "For these enemies, I swear if I manage to bring my family to safety, I swear I will be the first to attack ... in this crusading Italy ... the Vatican with the will of God."

Soon after, ISIS pulled off a horrific vehicular attack in France, mowing down 86 people strolling the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Security officials in Rome responded by closing the main approach to St. Peter's Square, the Via della Conciliazione, to traffic. Elsewhere, police have erected barriers around St. Peter's Basilica to prevent drivers from gaining the speed needed to carry out such an attack.

Despite an ongoing series of defeats on the battlefield in its home region of northern Iraq and Syria, ISIS presents a growing danger to the security of European cities. In the past year, the terror group has launched or inspired a spate of attacks across the continent, with jihadists hitting London, Manchester, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, St. Petersburg, Brussels, Stockholm and Istanbul.

Have a news tip? Submit news to our tip line.