Pope Francis faced his mortality during an interview this week, and asked God to grant him a painless death if he is assassinated.
The pontiff made the surprising remarks in a conversation with Buenos Aires' La Carcova News, and said that his death would occur if it is "God's will'.
"Life is in God's hands," he explained. "I have said to the Lord, "You take care of me. But if it is your will that I die or something happens to me, I ask you only one favour: that it doesn't hurt. Because I am a real wimp when it comes to physical pain."'
The head of the Vatican police force, Commander Domenico Giani, recently admitted that threats from the Islamic State (IS) against Pope Francis are real, and that they are preparing for an attack.
The Church denied an assassination plot in January in the Philippines, although Former Special Action Force commander Getulio Napeñas testified that Southeast Asian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiya planned to set off a bomb near Francis' convoy. Italian officials also warned that the Mafia has plotted against the pontiff.
Despite the threats to his life, Francis continues to present an approachable and close relationship with the faithful.
"[He] is not compromising the style of his pontificate, based on closeness to the people, that is, on personal contact with the greatest number of people possible," Giani explained, adding that Francis remains "the priest who does not want to lose touch with his flock."
"We are the ones who have to adjust to him, and not vice versa," he continued. "We have to do everything we can so he can continue to carry out his ministry as he wants and believes he should."
