Papal visit could cause chaos in Sweden

A risk analysis ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to Lund and Malmö in October shows significant challenges for Swedish police.

Pope Francis is due to visit Lund in southern Sweden on October 31st before moving on to Malmö. On the Pope’s agenda is a service in the Lund cathedral and an event at the Malmö Arena in front of 10,000 spectators followed by a Catholic mass at a yet undisclosed location in the city.

The Pope’s visit to Krakow, Poland earlier this year attracted a 1 million-strong crowd and now Swedish police are preparing for what promises to be a huge event in the southern part of the country.

Mats Karlsson is in charge of police operations during the papal visit and, speaking to Swedish Radio, he listed a number of possible scenarios that may unfold during the events.

“We have just received our first risk analysis which goes through all the possible scenarios and the likelihood of them happening,” Karlsson said.

“We have a general terror threat right now that is constant. Add to that the fact that many people will be gathering at one location. That means we have to think things through beforehand. What do we do if someone has a heart attack in the middle of the crowd? And then something else might happen in the area – there may be a fire in an apartment…”

Karlsson compared the police arrangements for the Papal visit to the Lund Carnival, explaining that some roads in the city will be closed off and that traffic will be rerouted. While members of the public will be able to move around Lund and Malmö by foot while the Pope is there, large crowds are expected to gather in the city centres and near the venues where the Pope will be participating in events and services.

October 31st – when the Pope will be in Lund – marks 499 years since the priest and scholar Martin Luther nailed a piece of paper to the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation. This divided the Catholic Church and the Protestantism that emerged was shaped by Luther’s ideas. 

The Pope’s visit to Lund will be the starting point for efforts to bring the two churches back together ahead of the 500-year anniversary of Luther’s decisive actions.

As for the police operations, Karlsson did not want to specify how many officers will be stationed in Lund and Malmö during the Papal visit. Asked if there is a general threat against the Pope, Karlsson said: “We do not publicly disclose any potential threats that we detect, but he is a very strong symbol for the Catholic Church.”