There Pontifical Swiss Guardthe armed force that protects the Pope and his residence in the Vatican City, has postponed the traditional oath ceremony expected to autumn for autumn May 6, 2025 as a sign of mourning for the death of Pope Francis. The ceremony is held every year on May 6 on the occasion of the anniversary of the Sacco di Roma del 1527 (in which 189 Swiss guards drew Pope Clement VII against the army of Charles V) and takes place in the presence of the Holy Father, but it is possible on May 6 there will be no new pope since in those days the conclave with which the Cardinal Vlectors will establish who will be the successor of Bergoglio will be.
But why The pope’s guards are Swiss? The pact between the Vatican and the body still oldest operational in the world – founded in 1506 – dates back to 1512, when Pope Julius II He chose to recruit the body of Swiss mercenaries for his protection, at the time of the ally of the Vatican and already at the time renowned for their preparation, their value and their loyalty. On that occasion Julius II assigned the title of Defenders of the freedom of the Church. The body therefore stopped being composed of mercenaries and began to serve the Pope permanently, a bond that still remains today.
Maybe not everyone knows that Swiss guards are truly Swiss: they must be by regulation. The conditions necessary to be recruited in the reinforced body provide that a pontifical guard must be a Swiss citizen, male between 18 and 30 years and at least 1.74 m high, celibate and practicing Catholic. It must also enjoy impeccable health and an irreproachable reputation, having acquitted the school recruited in the Swiss army and a appropriate apprenticeship is completed.
