Pope thanks Vatican police on 200th anniversary

September 19, 2016

Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on September 18 for 200th anniversary of the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City.

In his homily, the Pope the Vatican police and security forces that the day’s Scripture readings presented the figures of an exploiter, a crooked man, and a faithful man-- “a man of prayer, in the double sense that he prays for others and trusts in the prayer of others for him.”

Encouraging the gendarmes to fight against “scams, against crooks, against exploiters,” the Pope said, “I thank you for these two centuries of service, and I wish for all of you that the society of Vatican City, that the Holy See, from the lowest to the highest, recognize your service.”

 

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Further information:

• Santa Messa in occasione del 200° anniversario del Corpo della Gendarmeria della Città del Vaticano, 18.09.2016 (Holy See Press Office)
• Ceremony for the 200th anniversary of the Vatican Gendarmerie - 2016.09.18 (YouTube Vatican)
• Holy Mass for the 200th Anniversary of the Corps of the Gendarmerie - 2016.09.18 (YouTube Vatican)