Europe was on high alert today as countries tightened their security in the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Paris.
At the Vatican, children, pensioners and even nuns were being searched ahead of the Pope’s weekly general audience.
Security has been stepped up after gunmen and suicide bombers went on the rampage in Paris, killing 129 in a wave of attacks on the Stade de France, bars and restaurants and the Bataclan theatre.
Italian police were seen searching bags and using electronic scanning devices this morning as crowds arrived at the Vatican’s St Peter’s square.
Pope Francis used his speech today to say that the doors of Catholic churches around the world must remain open, despite increased security fears in the aftermath of the Paris attacks.
His comments came in the context of intense discussion in Italy about the security of the Vatican and Rome, which are seen as potential targets for Islamist militants.
‘Please, no armoured doors in the Church, everything open,’ the 78-year-old pontiff told pilgrims in St Peter’s square, Italy’s AGI news agency reported.
‘There are places in the world where doors should not be locked with a key. There are still some but there are also many where armoured doors have become the norm.
‘We must not surrender to the idea that we must apply this way of thinking to every aspect of our lives, …’ Francis said.
‘To do so to the Church would be terrible.’
The pope did not explicitly refer to last week’s attacks on Paris, which he has condemned as ‘inhuman’.
Francis’s comments also had a spiritual significance – he has urged the Church to keep its doors open to lapsed believers who are considering returning and to the hundreds of thousands of migrants arriving in Europe from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
Italy announced this week that it would close airspace over Rome to drones for the duration of the upcoming Catholic jubilee year, which is expected to bring more than a million extra visitors to the Italian capital.
The move reflects fears a remote-controlled aircraft could be used by Islamic State or other militant groups to stage a potentially spectacular attack on the home of the Catholic church.
Security has also been stepped up at airports and train stations and some 700 extra troops deployed in public spaces in Rome.
Individuals purporting to be Islamic State militants have made a number of threats against Rome on social media and in the group’s propaganda outlets.
Italian officials say they take such statements seriously but that they have never received evidence of a credible, specific plot to bomb Rome, the Vatican or the Pope.
Over the weekend, Pope Francis revealed he was ‘shaken’ by what he described as the ‘inhuman’ attacks on a string of Paris venues which left at least 129 people dead.
The pontiff said there could be ‘no justification, religious or human’ for the massacre in the French capital last night.
The 78-year-old was emotional as he took part in a telephone interview and grappled to find the right words as he condemned the bloodshed.