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"In this new world, we live, we can not isolate ourselves," said Obama to a crowd of 70,000 in Berlin today. "We can not hide behind a wall."

He was probably talking about the Wall of Berlin - he was standing, after all, a few meters from the threatening concrete barrier formerly who divided the city - but it was probably also a Jab not as subtle to his presidential successor, the guy with theOstentatious hand handle Who continues to insist that he wants to build a "big magnificent wall" on the American border and Mexico.

This is probably probably not a coincidence that Obama's comments arrived at Trump's first visit to the Vatican, to meet the man who mocked once his wall ambitions. "A person who thinks only about the construction of walls, wherever they are, and do not build bridges, is not a Christian"Pope Francis noted last year. Trump responded by calling Francis "Discourse" and his director of social media of the campaign tweeted "amazing comments of the Vatican City of the Pope are 100% surrounded by massive walls."

With all thetalk about walls Once again, and where they should and should not exist, that asked us: whyis There is a wall around the Vatican, anyway? Who are they trying exactly to stay outside? Or maybe stay in? Read on to learn the answer.

"A little extra protection"

The answer is exactly what you expected. The Vatican walls were constructed to prevent hackers. (Wait thatwas not What did you expect? Bizarre.)

During the 9th century, Saracen Pirates pounded a large part of the SouthItaly. When they struck St. Peter in 846,LEO POPE IV decided that he needed some extra protection. A 39 feet high wall was built around the city of Leonine, an area that included the territory of the current Vatican.

"Little by little the Muslim threat covered and many doors have been opened in the walls," saysThomas noble, an expert in papal history of Notre-Dame University. But then came the 16th century and a new pope,PIE IV, who proclaimed: "Nah! Close" boys ". (We are paraphrassing.)" The problem in these later was that political violence in Rome sometimes threatened the papacy, "said Noble. It was not Pirates this time, but the Roman emperors seek to choose a fight (and may be part of the sweet art of the church.)

"A sign of papal power"

The Vatican walls remained even when the threats disappeared because a wall does not always consist in keeping the bad guys. The old walls look cool. "Remember that great rebirths sought to restore Rome and the Vatican region as a glory in the civilized world," saysDiane Apostolos-Cappadona, Professor of Catholic Studies in Georgetown. The Saint-Pierre Basilica church was built to be "the biggest church of ChristendomandThe pilgrimage center in Europe, "she says. By surrounding everything with a wall was a "papal power sign".

But it is a symbolic power more than an oppressive power to "keep". "Construction walls, whether in China or northern Britain or anywhere else, have always been political statements," said Noble. "They have never served as efficient barriers."

The Vatican walls are anything but effective. It is moreHard to cross the safety of the airport at JFK than entering the Vatican City. Once you are through metal detectors, well, that's all. With regard to identification, it does not take much.Ken Pennington, Professor of Medieval History of Washington American Catholic University, frequently visits the Vatican City and it says that the only I.D. It already needs its Vatican Library Card. "It's true," he laughs. "Have a library card; will travel."

How to get trained in the Vatican

Obama maybe right to know that we can not "hide behind a wall". But there is no danger of this goes on the Vatican. The only way to hide there is that the person who tries to find that you do not know where the entrance is and has a lot of metal plates in their body and does not have a library card.

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