A GROUP of new Swiss Guard recruits officially joined the ranks after swearing to “faithfully, loyally and honourably serve the reigning Pontiff” at the Vatican on Saturday.
At the annual swearing-in 23 new guardsmen pledged their allegiance before friends and family during a ceremony in the San Damaso Courtyard on Saturday.
The ceremony takes place each year on the anniversary of the May 6, 1527 battle known as the Sack of Rome, when 147 guards lost their lives defending Pope Clement VII from the army of the mutinous Holy Roman Empire.
During the battle, the pope was able to escape from the Vatican to Castel Sant’Angelo via a secret passageway. It is the most significant and deadly event in the history of the Swiss Guard.
Swiss Guard Commander Christoph Graf reminded the new recruits of the proverb, “the clothes don’t make the man,” recalling that just as beautiful clothing does not say anything about the character of a person, neither does wearing the uniform make them a good guard.
Wear the uniform, he said, “not as a stage dress but as an expression of your service.”
The military’s chaplain also gave a short reflection, reminding the guards to be guided by the Lord, before he pronounced the words of the oath they shortly afterward swore to.
The more than hour-long ceremony was punctuated by music and drumming from the Pontifical Swiss Guard Band, as well as the playing of the national anthems of Vatican City and Switzerland.
Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, sostituto of the Secretariat of State, represented Pope Francis at the event.
On Saturday morning, the Swiss Guard celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by a meeting with Pope Francis in the Apostolic Palace.
“To you recruits in particular I say: do not lose your courage and passion to discover new things,” the pope told them.
“I like to think that the decision to place some years of your lives at the disposal of the pope and the Holy See is not unrelated to your personal journey of faith,” he said.
“Your mission here at the Vatican is an avenue the Lord has opened for you to live out your Baptism and give joyful witness to your faith in Christ.”
Francis told them the faces of those they encounter every day, whether pilgrims or cardinals, are an invitation to “recognize and share God’s love for each one.”
“May every situation, every encounter be an opportunity to put the Gospel of Christ into practice, to learn from the Lord and to live fraternal love in his name and by his Spirit,” he said.
