Swiss Guard: Keeping the peace and protecting the pope for 500 years

Published: 2004-05-07

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Don't be fooled by their designer duds. Under those bright, baggy bloomers and a tilted beret stands a lean, mean fighting machine as well as a courteous helper of lost or curious tourists. He is a Swiss Guard. He stands at least 5 feet 8 inches tall, is an ironclad Catholic of "irreproachable" character, young and single, has clocked in at least 19 birthdays and usually no more than 30, and he is Swiss. He also has completed rigorous entrance requirements and Swiss army training, making him a member of an elite guard who is ready at any moment to sacrifice his life for the pope. The papal Swiss Guard tradition has been marching on for nearly 500 years -- making it the oldest, continually active military corps in history. On May 5, the corps unveiled plans for its 2006 jubilee celebration. Events will include a commemorative march from Switzerland to Rome to re-enact the Guard's entry into Rome half a millennium ago and to reaffirm that the corps' spirit and dedication to protect the pope have never dimmed.

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