EDITORIAL - The plot to kill the Pope

An unnamed former military intelligence officer was reported as having claimed there was a plot to kill the pope during his recent visit to the Philippines. The plot reportedly involved attempting to kill him either in Manila or in Tacloban. And while no attempt was known to have actually taken place, it was only because the plot was allegedly foiled, or so the source said, with some of the participants supposedly getting nearly caught.

Where the story originated, nobody seems to know, at least not among the general public. All of a sudden it was in the news, with very sketchy details, in addition to being too suspicious. The source is not only anonymous, it was also not explained how and why he came across the information while nobody in active service seemed aware of the circumstances that the source has narrated.

To be sure, Malacañang belatedly confirmed hearing "raw information" about the plot but could provide no added information other than what had already been attributed to the unnamed source, thus giving rise to suspicions it merely wanted to play along, the consequence of not playing along being that it might be perceived as not having known at all (read as not being on top of the situation).

That it was only Abigail Valte doing the confirming and not anyone more qualified and conversant on security matters, such as Voltaire Gazmin for instance, is a dead giveaway of the extent of the Palace's knowledge of the plot, if indeed there was one, and if indeed it knew about it. Come to think of it, a foiled plot could have provided the president himself with the platform to claim some credit, knowing how he insisted on not having anything bad befall the pope while here.

So, was there really a plot? More importantly, was the plot really foiled. Admittedly, we leave in a world that has come under constant threat of terrorism. Every plot, or even just a hint of a plot, has to be taken with utmost seriousness. Now, whether or not this plot was real or not, the best thing to do at the moment is give thanks that the pope stayed safe for the entire duration of his five-day visit here.

Another good thing about it is that, true or not, the issue of a plot against the pope has emerged. It is something that just cannot be ignored. Even the pope himself said something about sensing some danger around him. May God not let something happen to the pope, whether this one or some other pope in the future. Because then, the loss will not just be a pope but something greater -- the value of sense.