Romans, with their mischievous sense of humour, call them the “Amazons”: the women enrolled as members of the security staff of the Vatican Museums. Up until now, their role has been to oversee and protect visitors, and they have not been part of the papal Gendarmerie. Yet there is no doubt that in future their role will be extended to other parts of Vatican City.Rome, and the Vatican, have become a target of the jihadi caliphate known as Islamic State. More than once an IS video has shown the obelisk in St Peter’s Square topped by their black flag. The Iraqi ambassador to the Holy See, Habeeb Al Sadr, warned as early as last September that Pope Francis is a target.But only since the massacres at Charlie Hebdo and the kosher supermarket in Paris has the situation become