The funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday in the Vatican City was marked by an unprecedented security operation, reflecting the high stakes of protecting a global gathering of dignitaries.
The event drew scores of world leaders, including Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (who had their first meeting since a White House spat, per The Wall Street Journal), necessitating robust measures.
Security forces deployed a wide — and sometimes strange-looking for the sharp-eyed viewers — array of firepower to safeguard the crowd.
Italian military personnel, alongside Vatican security, were stationed throughout St. Peter’s Square and along the funeral procession route.
One of the most striking elements of the operation was the presence of advanced weaponry, some of which appeared unusual to onlookers. Among these were devices specifically designed to counter drones, already a growing concern across the globe, let alone at high-profile events.
A viral video shared by journalist Elisabetta Piqué on X captured Italian soldiers wielding what looked like futuristic rifles from a “Call of Duty” video game. The post showed a soldier holding a device later identified as a counter-drone weapon by various reports.
Take a look below:
Vatican now pic.twitter.com/Cxl1vs765w
— Elisabetta Piqué (@bettapique) April 25, 2025
According to The Aviationist, these weapons emit electromagnetic pulses to disrupt a drone’s communication and navigation systems, forcing it to land or crash.
The outlet also reported that the Italian Air Force deployed Eurofighter Typhoon jets to patrol the skies over Rome. These jets conducted continuous sweeps to monitor for aerial threats, including rogue drones or other aircraft.
Ground forces were equally formidable. Armored vehicles lined the procession route, while snipers were positioned on rooftops surrounding St. Peter’s Square, ensuring a 360-degree security perimeter.
Special forces units, including Italy’s NOCS (Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza, their police special forces), were on standby. These elite teams are trained for rapid response to terrorist threats, a precaution given the global attention on the funeral and its attendees.
“It is unprecedented,” one Italian police officer told Sky News. “The level of security is at the maximum.”
“So we have employed some special units that belong to Carabinieri – the bomb squad, a dogs unit, snipers and helicopters,” police chief Ciriaco Sarnelli said. “We want to assure the people who are arriving here that they can take part in this event in the best way, in a secure way.”
Sky News also noted that security personnel used advanced surveillance technology. High-resolution cameras gave operators on the fifth floor of the police headquarters the ability to “see everything.”
According to The Aviationist, the event was attended by 160 delegations from across the world, including 50 heads of state and 10 monarchs.
The event’s security also had to consider the other 200,000 attendees.
Chaos as tens of thousands of people now allowed to enter the streets through security check points to attend Pope Francis’s funeral. pic.twitter.com/dwHI9OP3ZX
— Sophie Elsworth (@sophieelsworth) April 26, 2025
Despite the general chaos that comes with that many people, the funeral concluded without incident, a testament to the effectiveness of the security measures.
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