Pope Francis refuses to wear bulletproof vest despite Christmas threat from Isis

The issue of Pope Francis wearing personal protection has been raised once more after it was revealed that he has refused to wear a bulletproof vest during Christmas celebrations in the Vatican.

Italian police have urged the Pope to wear the protection after receiving intelligence that Isis are planning to bring chaos to Rome with a series of terrorist attacks.

Father Ciro Benedettini, a Vatican spokesman told the Daily Express said: "He is not afraid, [he] knows everything [about the threat from Isis] but he doesn't want to lose the contact with the people."

Francis refused to wear a protective vest during his African tour despite fears for his safety, particularly in the Central African Republic which has been wracked by sectarian violence.

And last year it was discovered by the Argentine press that Pope Francis' dislike of bulletproof vests stems from the one time he wore one as Cardinal Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, according to reports in the Argentinian newspapers.

The then Cardinal was advised to wear the vest by police in the South American country in 2009 after an assassination plot was uncovered against him.

A former spokesman for the Pope told the Argentinian newspapers: "He complained about it being uncomfortable after using it once, and decided not to use it again."