Melbourne, Feb 11 : The Vatican has dismissed media reports of a plot to kill the Pope, saying that it is not something meant to be taken seriously.

According to Sky Italia TG24, the Italian media went into frenzy after the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano published a front-page account of a note sent to Benedict XVI by Cardinal Castrillon.

The note, written in German, tells of an alleged conversation in which the Archbishop of Palermo, Cardinal Romeo, claimed that the Pope was in great danger and an attack was feared within 12 months.

Romeo also apparently named the Pope's probable successor as Cardinal Scola, the current Archbishop of Milan.

The Vatican, however, says it doesn't think much of the threat.

"These are clearly ravings, which are not at all taken seriously. This is madness," the Courier Mail quoted Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, as saying in a hurriedly released statement.

Although the alleged document was dated December 30, 2011, it was given to the Pope in January this year.

Papal conspiracy theories are nothing new. The sudden death of Pope John Paul I, just 33 days after becoming pontiff in 1978, led to a wealth of unfounded stories about plots and poisoning. (ANI)