Gun found in abandoned suitcase before papal visit to Trieste, Italy

Pope Francis travels between the conference center and Unità d’Italia Square in Trieste, Italy, with a golf cart during his pastoral visit to the northern Italian city on July 7, 2024. In Trieste, the pope addressed around 1,200 participants in a Catholic conference on democracy for the annual Social Week of Catholics. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 12, 2024 / 15:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis’ security had to be reinforced during his visit to Trieste, Italy, on July 7 due to the discovery of a pistol inside an abandoned suitcase at the city’s train station. The pope traveled to and from the city by helicopter.

According to the Italian press, less than 24 hours after the arrival of the Holy Father, all the alarms went off after the police discovered a Czech-made semiautomatic pistol inside the suitcase.

The discovered weapon, a 9 mm handgun with a magazine containing 14 bullets, was inside the suitcase along with two pairs of shoes and clothing of Turkish origin still bearing the labels.

The Carabinieri (Italy’s security agency) acted immediately and informed the authorities in charge of Pope Francis’ security during his participation in the 50th Social Week of Catholics so that they could increase protection measures.

The pope made the trip to participate in the annual event organized by the Catholic Church in Italy dedicated to promoting Catholic social doctrine.

In a statement to Il Piccolo — Trieste’s main newspaper — the city’s bishop, Enrico Trevisi, said the pontiff was aware of what happened and “was calm” at all times.

In fact, the prelate was informed about the weapon by the Holy Father himself, who despite the situation decided to continue with the trip.

Trevisi noted that the citizens of Trieste “welcomed the pope’s arrival with great joy, and we don’t want this joy to be disturbed by other thoughts” and invited them to “treasure the pope’s words.”

Pope Francis’ visit to Trieste continued normally and without additional incidents, although the intelligence and anti-terrorism unit continues to investigate a possible connection between the weapon and the Holy Father’s visit.

Although they have not yet determined the identity of the suitcase’s owner, the station cameras show a man 5 feet 9 inches tall with a dark complexion who looked around before leaving the suitcase and exiting.

When consulted by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said this is a matter that concerns “the Italian authorities.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.