A Vatican Swiss Guard recruit swears in during a ceremony at the San Damaso courtyard in Vatican City.
Keystone/AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
Pope Francis has inaugurated the new command centre of the Pontifical Swiss Guard at the Vatican. About 100 Swiss soldiers are based there to protect the Pontiff.
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Not content to mind her own business, Susan studied journalism in Boston so she’d have the perfect excuse to put herself in other people’s shoes and worlds. When not writing, she presents and produces podcasts and videos.
In the Pope’s speech on Monday, he said that their work was an expression of the sense of solidarity that characterises the presence of Catholics in society.
“Through your work, therefore, you are a concrete testimony to the ideals of the Gospel, and within Switzerland’s social fabric you are an example of solidarity and compassion,” said the leader of the Catholic Church. Roman Catholics account for about 38% of the Swiss population. Since 1506, Swiss soldiers have been stationed near Rome to guard the Pope and his palace.
The Pope also thanked the two Swiss foundations that provide financial, material and technical support to the Pontifical Swiss Guard. The presidents of those foundations – former cabinet minister Pascal Couchepin and former Swiss National Bank present Jean-Pierre Roth – also attended the ceremony.
Although it has been in use since the beginning of this year, the official inauguration ceremony was on Monday. Now the Pontifical Swiss Guard is planning to renovate its barracks. The building, which dates back to 1825, does not meet the current requirements of the troops, nor does it comply with today’s building regulations.
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The event is always held on May 6 each year, the date that commemorates the 147 Swiss soldiers who died defending Clement VII during the Sack of Rome in 1527. On Saturday, the new recruits pledged their allegiance to Pope Francis. The Pontifical Swiss Guard, which was formed in 1506 by Pope Julius II, is…
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Lt. Col. Christoph Graf will now command the 500-year-old Papal Swiss Guard, replacing Col. Daniel Anrig, who had commanded the unit since 2008. Col. Graf, who comes from canton Lucerne, has been a member of the Swiss Guard since 1987. The formal transfer of power from Anrig to Graf took place a week ago. After…
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