As I’m eating lunch yesterday, who should be on the television but the Pope! He’s just pulling into Yankee Stadium in his Popemobile – a modified Mercedes that just looks wacky, with an enclosure on the back where everyone can see him, and presumably he is safe from someone who might like to kill him. But just how safe is he?
While he’s being driven along, it looks like the enclosure is completely sealed. Until a corner shot shows that his hand is out one of the windows. So obviously it’s not totally closed, and one of the seventy thousand or so people in the stadium could try and get something in that opening. Nice.
Now alongside the vehicle there are also at least four bodyguards. These guys just jog alongside. Frankly I don’t get it. Our man the Pope is – generally – protected inside his armored car that basically can’t be penetrated and there they are on the outside where they don’t stand a chance of getting to him. How is that going to help? But I digress.
Then, as the Pope gets to the field, they open up the back and he walks up onto the stage. I assume that now that he’s up in front of all the people, no one will try and take him out? Now don’t get me wrong, I hope that they don’t – but if they are concerned about it, wouldn’t it make sense to keep it up?
I get that the protection is while the Pope travels through the thickest crowd, where the dangers are the highest. But he’s going to need it just as much when he’s out in front of those same people giving his prayer. So what’s the deal? And while we’re at it, why is the replacement Pope so old? You would think that they’d want to pick a replacement that will be around for a while, rather than someone who will have to be replaced before long.