Hello. I am American and have an interest in joining the Swiss Guard at the Vatican. I have visited all the websites that have information about the Guard and the Swiss citizenship laws. I was wondring if anyone here could tell me more about the Swiss Guard than the simple criteria posted on :

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/swiss_guard/index.htm

Is it absolutely necessary to be a full Swiss citizen to join? Also is it at all possible for a foreign born person to join the Swiss Guard at all? Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Justin

Why do you not use the contact details on this page to ask them for advice http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/sw...dirizzi_en.htm I have always been lead to beleave that you have to be a Swiss citizen and also be Roman Catholic...

Is it absolutely necessary to be a full Swiss citizen to join?

From what I'm lead to beleave yes you would have to be a full Swiss citizen to join the guard.

Yes you have to be of Swiss nationality to be a member, they are a high profile and elete group, competition is very high. You must first be a member of the Swill army ( only army members in good standing are considered, next you have to have a recommendation from someone within the Catholic Church ( the higher up in Rome you can get someone to recommend the better. There are only 100 members 4 who are officers and 1 who is a chaplain. So that only leaves 97 positoins. The duty lasts only two years, so even if you did get chosen, you only do it for two years and then you go back to the reguloar swiss army.

1/2 of the force is replaced every year.

Current profile

While much of the work of the present day guards is ceremonial, they are responsible for the security at the Apostolic Palace, the papal apartment and the four main entrances to the Vatican. They are also in charge of the pontiff's physical safety when he travels outside the city state.

The Swiss Guard, the world's smallest and perhaps most colorful army, has been the chief protectors of the pontiff. Clad in Renaissance helmets and blue, red and yellow tunics (the colors of the Medici family) that are said to have been designed by Michelangelo. For routine work, the guards wear blue uniforms and berets.

The Swiss Guard currently consists of a total of 100 men: 4 officials, 1 chaplain, 23 noncommissioned officers, 70 halbardiers, and 2 drummers. The halbard is the traditional weapon carried by Swiss Guards. The members of the Swiss Guard reside in a barrack in Vatican City. They serve for two years, with the possibility of extending the period to a maximum of 25 years. During this period they receive training in self-defence, attend shooting practice, take course in Italian and study the organizational structure of the Vatican. At the end of the first year they must take a very thorough exam.

Guard recruits must be Roman Catholic men of Swiss nationality who are single, under 30 years old and stand at least 5-feet, 8-inches tall. Guards need to have completed their initial military training in the Swiss Armed Forces, and obtained a certificate of good conduct from an ecclesiastical and a civil authority.

The Swiss Guard is all that is left of a pontifical military corps that medieval popes once fielded to exert temporal power on a part of the Italian peninsula - power that is now restricted to the 108 acres of Vatican City.

Historical development

The Swiss Guard was founded in 1505 by Pope Julius II as a stable and disciplined corps of regular Swiss soldiers depending directly on the Holy See, for the guarding of the person of the Roman Pontiff and the Apostolic Palaces. January 21, 1506, is considered the official founding when 150 Swiss soldiers arrived in Rome and received the solemn blessing of Pope Julius II upon their arrival in St. Peter's Square.

In the early years, the corps was disbanded several times, and the guards had to retire, especially during the imprisonment or exile of the Popes.

During the Sack of Rome on May 6, 1527, when heroically fighting against the troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, 147 Swiss Guards died alongside then-commander Kaspar Roist, while 42 were saved with Clement Vll (Giulio de' Medici) in Castle San Angelo.

On May 6 of each year, in commemoration of this historical date, the newly recruited members of the Swiss Guard are sworn in the San Damasco Courtyard in the Vatican, in four different languages - German, French, Italian and Ladino - according to their canton of origin. As they take their oath promising fidelity to the Pope and the Church, the soldiers raise three fingers of their right hand, symbolizing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, while placing their left hand on the flag of the Swiss Guard Corps. This banner is formed by three shields representing the current Pope, the founder of the Swiss Guard, Julius II, and the commander.

Sources: Vatican Information Service; L'Osservatore Romano, April 30, 1990; The Washington Post, May 5,1998

The guard also have to be single, not married


Pope calls Swiss Guard ‘small army with great ideals’

5/12/2005 • By Carol Glatz


VATICAN CITY (CNS) — It may be one of the world’s smallest armies, but the tiny corps of 110 men who protect the successor of Peter is big in spirit, said Pope Benedict XVI.

“This spirit of the Swiss Guards is nourished by the glorious tradition of almost five centuries of a small army with great ideals,” the pope said May 6 in his address to new recruits, their family members and friends.

The 31 new recruits met with the pope several hours before they took their oath as members of the Swiss Guard in a colorful swearing-in ceremony in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace.

The ceremony is held each year on May 6, the anniversary of the date in 1527 when 147 guards died defending Pope Clement VII during the sack of Rome.

The new recruits swear an oath to “faithfully, loyally and honorably” serve the pope, “sacrificing if necessary” their lives to defend him.

In his speech, Pope Benedict thanked them for their dedication, saying by devotedly protecting the pope the Swiss Guard allow the pontiff to carry out his mission “free of worry for his safety.”

The pope asked the new recruits to seek out and nourish the spirit that makes the Swiss Guard such a special corps. May it also lead to “a true spiritual bond” among the guards, he said. Pope Benedict said the Swiss Guard is built upon the “great ideals” of a “firmness of Catholic faith, a convinced and convincing Christian way of life, unshakeable trust and a profound love for the Church and for the vicar of Christ.”

He said the guards also represent “conscientiousness and perseverance in the small and great tasks of daily service, courage and humility, attention to others and humanity.”

Swiss Guard recruits are required to be Swiss citizens, unmarried Catholic men between the ages of 19 and 30, and at least 5 feet 8 inches tall. Even though they must have completed Switzerland’s required military service, prospective papal guards still undergo a rigorous selection process and further training in defense and security.

Though Swiss Guards are no longer fighting battles with their broadswords and halberds, their daily life includes 24-hour shifts that often require standing for long periods guarding the Vatican’s major entrances or working at liturgical celebrations and audiences.

The guards’ one day off every three days tends to be busy as well, since it is often dedicated to inspections, briefings, marches, additional courses and shooting practice.

Thank you very much for your help, nwsflash and Fr Chuck. The information you provided was excellent.

Should I contact the command or the information contact? Who do you think would be most appropriate to answer my questions?

Thank you,
Justin.