Religion: Church Militant

The Vatican was ready for the Battle of Rome last week. Against possible “foreign aggression” it had:

¶Begun the construction of a hefty steel fence outside the Vatican wall.

¶Mobilized a “special defense corps” estimated at 2,000 men to guard Vatican property in Rome.

¶Acquired a fleet of 21 coastal ships to bring food to the “hard-pressed people of Rome and Vatican City.” The ships will operate between Rome and Genoa, flying the Vatican flag.†

Other defense measures taken during the past six months: 1) increase of the efficient, well-equipped Swiss Guards from 100 to 600 men; 2) increase of the Pontifical Military Guard (papal gendarmes, who ordinarily police palace and gardens) from 800 to 3,300 men; 3) quadrupling the Palatine Guard of Honor to 2,000 men. This small army has been equipped with modern weapons. The Vatican walls have been prepared for machine-gun defense “should the occasion arise.”

†The small Vatican flag has two equal vertical stripes, yellow and white, carries the papal insignia. Until 1860 the Vatican had a small armed navy, used chiefly against pirates.