MANILA, Philippines - Despite reported threats on his life, Pope Francis refused to ride a bulletproof popemobile and wear a bulletproof vest during his recent five-day visit in the country.
“These were two non-negotiable matters with the pope. The popemobile , because he wants to be close to the people, and the vest, he just won’t wear it,” Philippine National Police (PNP) director for operations Ricardo Marquez said in a chance interview with The STAR.
Marquez, who also heads the Special Task Force Papal Visit 2015, said the PNP had prepared a bulletproof vest for the 78-year-old pontiff but the papal security team discarded the idea, apparently upon the pope’s wishes.
Along with PNP acting Deputy Director Leonardo Espina, Marquez and his team were holed up in a hotel in Manila which served as center of police operations and deployment during the five-day visit.
En route to Manila last week, Pope Francis posted in