Does the Vatican ban people from visiting the way Islam bans all Infidels from Mecca?
Forbidden to persons not of the Muslim faith, Mecca came to symbolize for Europeans the secrets and mysteries of the orient, and as such became a magnet for explorers and adventurers. A few of these daring travelers, such as John Lewis Burckhardt from Switzerland (who, in 1812, was also the first European to visit the ruins of Petra) and Sir Richard Burton from Great Britain were able to convincingly impersonate Muslim pilgrims, gain entrance to Mecca, and write wonderfully of the holy city upon their return to Europe. Other explorers were neither so lucky nor divinely guided; many of them disappeared or were caught and sold into slavery. To this day, Mecca remains strictly closed for persons not of the Muslim faith.
No, the Vatican doesn’t, although Papal visits are carefully screened. As for Islam, Mecca and their holy rock, a large percentage of non-Muslims are firmly convinced that the Muslim religion caters to the mentally deficient.