Photo: © Michael Haynes
On May 6, the Vatican was host to the annual spectacle of the swearing-in ceremony for the Swiss Guards, with 34 new recipients making their solemn promise to serve and protect the Pope and cardinals, even to the point of laying down their lives.
“I swear to serve faithfully, loyally and honorably the reigning Pontiff and his lawful successors, to devote myself to them with all my strength, sacrificing, if necessary, even my life in their defense,” begins the oath, read aloud to the assembled new Swiss Guards by their chaplain, Father Kolumban Reichlin. The oath continues:
“I assume the same duties towards the College of Cardinals during the vacancy of the Apostolic See. I also promise to the Commander and other Superiors respect, loyalty and obedience. Thus I swear, may God and our Holy Patrons assist me.”
Such is the oath to which each of the Swiss Guards holds himself, and with which each begins his minimum two years of service of the Roman Pontiff and the Holy See.
Each new guard makes his promise of commitment to the oath while holding the flag of the corps with his left hand and the right hand aloft, with three fingers extended to represent the Holy Trinity.
Photo: © Michael Haynes
The corps’ standard is held by guards for each new recruit to make his oath, while Fr. Reichlin and the Colonel of the Guards Christoph Graf stand to witness every soldier’s oath.
The swearing-in ceremony takes place in the San Damaso courtyard of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. Numerous friends and relatives gathered to witness the occasion were joined by a number of cardinals and prelates working at the Holy See.
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The annual ceremony is held to mark the day on May 6, 1527, on which 189 Swiss Guards defended Pope Clement VII during the Sack of Rome by the army of Emperor Charles V. A total of 147 Guards died defending the Pope, while the remaining 42 escorted him to the safety of Castel Sant’Angelo, a few hundred meters down from the Vatican, on the edge of the River Tiber.
While world famous for their brightly colored uniforms, the Swiss Guards are not merely a symbolic show of force or the first port of call for ambling tourists. The members of the “world’s smallest army” are tasked with guarding the Pope, the Vatican and the Apostolic Palace, along with ensuring order among the various papal ceremonies that form part of the Pope’s daily life.
Armed with halberds, the Guards are also equipped with firearms during papal events, as teams of uniformed and plain-clothes Guards ensure the protection of the Holy See at all times, particularly after the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981.
Recruits must have Swiss citizenship, be between ages 19 and 30, have completed basic military training, and be at least 5 feet, 8.5 inches tall. He must also be an unmarried Catholic, although after five years of service—only two years are mandatory—a guard is allowed to marry.
With this current ceremony concluded, the Swiss Guard now number 135 strong.