The commander of the Vatican gendarmes, Domenico Giani, said security patrols of the Vatican perimeter are always on high guard.

"There are not only the threats of the Islamic State, but also the risk of action by individuals, which is more dangerous because it is unpredictable," he said in an interview for the monthly magazine of the Italian state police.

For months, there have been rumours of threats against the Vatican or Pope Francis by ISIS militants.

Concern heightened last month when militants claiming to be allied with ISIS murdered 21 Christians in Libya.

In a video, the militants said they would conquer Rome.

Mr Giani, who is the Pope's bodyguard, said that based on what he has learned from meetings with his Italian and foreign colleagues, he can say that the ISIS threat is real.

But he hasn't been told of any information about actual attack plans, he said.

Mr Giani, who worked in the Italian secret service before moving to the Vatican, said he is in frequent contact with Italian and other government intelligence services, including some from predominantly Muslim countries.

"I can say that today the Pontiff is seen and respected by Muslims as the most influential moral authority in the world — and that is on the part of both religious and civil leaders."

Asked how Pope Francis is living with the threat, Mr Giani responded: "The Holy Father does not intend to abandon the style of his pontificate, which is based on proximity, that is, on a direct encounter with the greatest number of people possible.

"Even as Pontiff, he has remained a priest who does not want to lose contact with his flock."

He said those entrusted with the Pope's security must adapt to Francis's style, not the other way round.

Mr Giani said Pope Francis "is well aware of the threats" against him, "but his only concern is for the faithful".

Sources

• The Tablet
• Catholic Herald
• Image: Inside the Vatican

Domenico Giani, said many of these artworks are difficult to protect because they are in isolated church buildings where no anti-theft measures are employed, or in churches that are basically abandoned because religious practice has fallen off.

As for valuable artworks scattered among parishes and dioceses around the world, he said it is absolutely necessary that local Catholic authorities obey a 1999 Vatican directive that they make a complete inventory of their art, including detailed descriptions and high-quality photographs of each item.

Not only does an inventory offer the only hope for getting a lost item back, he said, it also ensures that local Catholic officials are aware of the items they have.

Giani was speaking at a general assembly of Interpol, which maintains a photo database of stolen art works. He said this makes the illicit trafficking of cultural goods much more difficult because potential buyers can see that they are stolen.

The Vatican police chief also spoke of "in countries where revolts are under way or there are internal struggles fed by a hatred so strong that people try to destroy anything that represents 'the enemy". In such places, he said, the conditions are ripe for the theft of religious art and its permanent loss.

Giani said the Vatican is "dense with artistic riches" and recognises its potential vulnerability as a target for art thieves because of the high value of its artworks. For this reason, it tries to keep up with the most modern anti-theft technology.

Sources:

Catholic News Service

Image: GCatholic.com