Okay, I’m Glad This Came To Nothing

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Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

36 thoughts on “Okay, I’m Glad This Came To Nothing”

  1. Maybe a couple of Swiss Guards with pikes in the back of the Popemobile would have deterred the guy. A big, nasty toad-sticker like a pike can give you what the Bible calls “a psychological edge”.

  2. Jimmy,
    You’re not the only one.
    The Holy Father didn’t even know what happened, he didn’t even flinch.

  3. The Holy Father didn’t even know what happened, he didn’t even flinch.
    Rottweilers don’t flinch!! 😉

  4. I would like to know more about the specifics of the Secret Service-like guys surrounding the Holy Father. Did anyone else happen to notice the one guy who completely backed away from the confrontation? Watch the video again if you missed it.
    Anyone who has spent time in the military, in personal security, or in law enforcement knows that that guy’s first priority should have been to determine if his buddies had the situation under control. If they needed it, he should have helped them out. If they were OK, he should have been searching and assessing the area for additional threats. When he backed off from the confrontation, his eyes remained on his partners and the individual who had jumped the barrier, though. No scanning for additional threats, no involvement in the apprehension of the individual.
    I hope that there is some logical explanation for this. Maybe the guy isn’t part of the Holy Father’s security detail at all. But if he is, and this was just a gigantic brain fart on his part, I hope he is off of that detail today. Bad guys look at these videos over and over again to determine how “soft” a target is, meaning how easy it would be to hit. Maybe this guy is just an isolated whacko and maybe he was making a dry run for the big guys to give them some reconnaissance on papal security. Either way, bad people will watch this video thousands of times and will use it like a textbook.
    Any security job, from the guy making 6 bucks an hour at the mall right up to the Secret Service details at the White House, are all about assessing risk and determining how much risk the “protectee” is willing to accept. Maybe, with all that’s going on in the world, Pope Benedict XVI should consider accepting less risk. If idiots like this one can get that close, it’s time to make some changes. No security detail can effectively protect such a high profile mark as the Holy Father among such humongous crowds in an open car like that.

  5. I have to sat that the security officers did a good job of snapping this guy up quickly–very professional, and my hat is off to them.
    The thing that worries me now, is whether or not others will be inspired to do the same.

  6. Maybe a couple of Swiss Guards with pikes in the back of the Popemobile would have deterred the guy. A big, nasty toad-sticker like a pike can give you what the Bible calls “a psychological edge”.
    bill912,
    Are you suggesting a ‘bouncer’????

  7. Dennis Mahon,
    SOME or MOST of them did a good job. At least one of them did a VERY POOR job. It only takes one, unfortunately.

  8. I must disagree with the VERY POOR job line-of-thinking. What if the jumper was Perp A, but Perp B and/or Perp C were further down the road. If you overreact to a probe, then you are toast. I didn’t see any backing away if you are talking about the guard to the rear – left of the Pope. He moved around and filled in the vacated spot on the right of the Pope mobile. Am I missing something?

  9. Yes, you are missing something. Like I said, his job was either to assist in the apprehension of the individual if necessary or to search and assess the area for other threats if his buddy had things under control. He did neither. He moved away but kept his eyes on the scuffle, looking at the two struggling with each other the whole time. Note the other security officials looking around for other potential threats. He kept his eyes on the struggle.
    Most of the security guys did a GREAT job, but like I said, it only takes one screwball to cause a complete breakdown. Bad guys will watch this video and key in on that guy as the weakest link.

  10. If the pope’s not concerned about safety, neither am I. Maybe he has a death wish.

  11. You don’t know what his specific job was. I have worked in the past on security details and we always have the guards acting as eyes and the other guards who do the grunt work. If his job was to be the eyes, he saw the guy jumping over, called in the proper people and got out of the way and when the suspect was apprehended he filled back into his position. The eyes never stop being the eyes.

  12. Every morning I pray God to join my particular prayer for the Pope, and his special intentions, to the millions of other offered up for him. Always included in this is a prayer for his physical well-being and safety. Today, let us all offer up a prayer of thanksgiving!

  13. KOV – I watched it again, and I agree. It was that look-back while moving back towards the pope mobile that is surely a security error.

  14. Don’t call the guy a “screwball”. We don’t know what their security plans were. Maybe, after seeing six other guys wrestle the loon to the ground, the guy thought he should keep up with the car and protect the Pope.

  15. If you look closely, you can see the he gets into formation with the other guard in the back. Three guys already had him in their arms. “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”

  16. Also the madman oud’ve been a distraction in order to let someone get near the pope to kill him. The most important thing is not to look tough while knocking the bad guy out. The priority is staying near the pope and keeping him alive.

  17. The albino assassin monks really messed this one up. They should have taken this guy out the instant he thought about jumping the barricade.

  18. Future “bad guys” will scrutinize this video, but so will Vatican security guys. I was in Rome in April, and some of my friends got chased just for going under barricades at night when nobody was there.
    On the other hand, I had another friend buy a full-size gladius (sword) and take it with him all the way to the top of St. Peter’s dome. Walked right past the security and laughed…

  19. David B.,
    I said, “It only takes one screwball…” I did not call the guy a screwball. I did, however, call the guy who jumped the barrier an idiot, because he is, indeed, an idiot.
    I agree with the “too many cooks…” and I agree with the “eyes” sentiments. I would recommend that you read all of the comments before jumping into the conversation halfway through. I said if help was needed, he should help his buddies apprehend the guy. If not, he should be searching and assessing the area for more threats. He did neither. He backed away, and continued to watch the scuffle as the procession continued. He should have been looking around the crowd for more threats like the other security guys.

  20. Obviously they are not going to release the details of what security person was supposed to do what, and whether someone dropped the ball, hence no way to verify anybody’s armchair quarterbacking theory, hence rendering this argument pointless.

  21. I just feel sad, to live in a world where the Pope is in so much danger….I guess in some corner of my mind, I have always wanyed to believe that the attempt on JP2 was a one-off…..Yes, indeed: Prayers needed. For the safety of Pope Benedict, for the alert thinking & acting of his guards, and for all of us, who live in such times….

  22. I’m no security expert, but here’s a thought I had. Perhaps they had others watching the croud, and that guy was watching the scuffle to make sure his folks had it in hand and that the nutcase wasn’t breaking loose to shoot at the Pope or anything.
    At any rate, it is truly sad that someone could be messed up enough to even think this kind of thing was funny as a publicity stunt, let alone that there are people out there would would like to do real harm to such a holy man.

  23. I don’t think we know enough about Vatican security to make a call on whether or not the guy was doing what he was supposed to.
    That being beside the point…People almost expect presidents and politicians to be assassinated. But the Pope? Thats just wrong…

  24. Was it a test to see how ready is security?
    Hmm. May be we need the military religious
    orders back on guard.

  25. I just feel sad, to live in a world where the Pope is in so much danger….I guess in some corner of my mind, I have always wanyed to believe that the attempt on JP2 was a one-off…..Yes, indeed: Prayers needed. For the safety of Pope Benedict, for the alert thinking & acting of his guards, and for all of us, who live in such times….
    Well, St. Pius X and John Paul I were assinated.
    This is known around informed circles.

  26. Well, St. Pius X and John Paul I were assinated.
    Can someone please explain how one is ass inated?

  27. St. Pius X with poison on the book pages, in which he moistened his fingers and in turn got poisened.
    John Paul I recieved a really powerful grace and the secret forces percieved that, and I believe used poison on the paint, or was it the tea. Can’t remember.
    One of those might have been for Bl.Pius IX.

  28. That is certainly something to pray for.
    He is in perfect health. So if God forbid something wierd happens, at least we’ll have another martyr.

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