Vatican security chief confirms ISIS is a threat to Pope Francis

Domenico Giani, commander of the Vatican's security forces, told Italy's Polizia Moderna that ISIS presents a significant threat to Pope Francis and the Vatican. Giana added, though, that there isn't indication ISIS is planning an attack directed at the pope.

"The threat exists. This is what has emerged from my conversations with Italian and foreign colleagues," Giani told Polizio Moderna, the official publication of Italy's state police. "At the moment, I can say that we know of no plan for an attack against the Vatican or the Holy Father."

Last week, Italy's government was on high alert when ISIS mentioned Italy and Christians as potential targets, calling the country "the nation signed with the blood of the cross." The threat came in a video with images of 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded, warning that ISIS forces were "south of Rome" in Libya.

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Giani said Pope Francis has no plans to change his relaxed papal style, though. "Even as pope, he's still a priest who doesn't want to lose the contact with his flock," Giani told Polizio Moderna. "It's us, those in charge of his safety, are the ones that have to help him, not the other way around."