6 things to know about the Swiss Guard and its swearing&in ceremony

A new Swiss Guard swears to protect the pope, even sacrificing his life if necessary, during a ceremony on May 6, 2023. / Daniel Ibanez/CNA Vatican City, May 6, 2023 / 13:00 pm (CNA). A group of new Swiss Guard recruits officially joined the ranks after swearing to “faithfully, loyally and honorably serve the reigning Pontiff” at the Vatican on Saturday.Wearing the red, orange, and blue grand gala uniform with armor, 23 new guardsmen swore their allegiance before friends and family during a ceremony in the San Damaso Courtyard on a sunny and breezy May 6. The ceremony began with the new guards, halberds in hand, marching into the courtyard.Twenty-three recruits were sworn-in to the Swiss Guard at the Vatican on May 6, 2023. Daniel Ibanez/CNASwiss Guard Commander Christoph Graf reminded the men 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 hourlong 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.The 23 recruits enter carrying their halberds.New Swiss Guards always have their swearing-in on May 6, the anniversary of the 1527 Sack of Rome. pic.twitter.com/8ODkZZEJv5— Hannah Brockhaus (@HannahBrockhaus) May 6, 2023 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.Pope Francis met members of the Swiss Guard and their families in the Apostolic Palace before the swearing-in of the new recruits on May 6, 2023. Vatican Media“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.Here are six things to know about the Swiss Guard and their annual swearing-in:An important anniversaryThe swearing-in 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.A days-long celebrationThe ceremony is just one piece of several days of public and private events, some of which are attended by representatives of the Swiss army, Swiss government, and Swiss bishops’ conference. Family and friends of the guards, and former guards who return for a visit, also participate.Swiss Guards placed a wreath in Roman Protomartyrs Square in honor of the soldiers who died during the Sack of Rome in 1527. Vatican MediaIn addition to Mass and a private audience with Pope Francis, the Swiss Guard prayed vespers on the afternoon preceding the swearing-in ceremony.After vespers, the “deposition of the crown” took place in Roman Protomartyrs Square inside the Vatican. The ceremony involves the placing of a wreath to commemorate the guards who died during the Sack of Rome.ChaplainThe Swiss Guard has its own Catholic chaplain. In 2021, Pope Francis appointed as chaplain the Swiss Benedictine Father Kolumban Reichlin, 50, who completed part of his studies at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana.The Pontifical Swiss Guard also has its own oratory inside Vatican City, where members regularly attend Mass, and where ceremonies such as weddings and baptisms sometimes take place.The Church of Sts. Martin and Sebastian of the Swiss was built in 1568 by Pope Pius V to be the Swiss Guard’s private chapel. It is located just behind the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square on the north side, next to the Swiss Guard barracks and the Apostolic Palace.OathDuring the swearing-in ceremony on May 6, the chaplain, Father Reichlin, read the full oath, which reads in English: “I swe