Envelope with Three Bullets Addressed to Pope Francis Intercepted in Milan

The piece of mail, which had no return address but carried a French stamp, was addressed to “The Pope, Vatican City, St. Peter’s Square in Rome."

Pope Francis arrives Sept. 23, 2015, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington for the canonization of Junípero Serra, who started nine Spanish missions in California in the 1700s.
Pope Francis arrives Sept. 23, 2015, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington for the canonization of Junípero Serra, who started nine Spanish missions in California in the 1700s. (photo: Alan Holdren / CNA)

VATICAN CITY — An envelope addressed to Pope Francis and containing three bullets was intercepted in Milan late on Sunday night, according to Italian media reports.

The piece of mail, which had no return address but carried a French stamp, was addressed to “The Pope, Vatican City, St. Peter’s Square in Rome,” the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.

The newspaper said that the envelope contained three pieces of 9 millimeter ammunition, of the kind used in a Flobert gun, and a message referring to financial operations in the Vatican.

The manager of an Italian post office branch in the town of Peschiera Borromeo alerted authorities when he found the suspicious piece of mail during sorting on the night of Aug. 8.

According to reports, local law enforcement have seized the note and are investigating its origins.