Posted on 02/24/2015 4:36:20 AM PST by NYer
.- The commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard says the group of soldiers charged with protecting the Pope is on high alert and ready to act if any threat from ISIS materializes.
“We are ready to intervene. Our job is security. and as gendarmes we are well organized. We are ready if anything happens,” said Cristoph Graf.
At age 54, Graf is married with two children. Yet he and the other members of the Swiss Guard are willing to lay down their lives to protect the Holy Father.
In an interview with the Italian daily Il Giornale, published on Feb. 18, Graf responded to threats from ISIS militants, who stated in a recent video, “We will conquer Rome.”
“We have asked the guards to be on higher alert, to watch how people are moving. We can’t do more than that,” Graf said.
He also stressed the importance of information to prevent potential attacks. He referenced the Jan. 7 massacre at the headquarters of a French newspaper that had published offensive images of the Prophet Mohammed.
“What happened in Paris could happen here and it cannot be prevented without intelligence based on accurate information,” he said.
Reflecting on his own appointment as commander of the Swiss Guard, Graf said, “The Pope asked me if I was willing and I could have said ‘no.’ But I think this is a mission and I answered ‘yes,’ because I see this as the Lord’s work. I know there are several crosses to carry but I trust in God’s help.”
Asked if the Holy Father is afraid, he replied, “I don’t think the Pope is afraid of anything…Anything can happen but you can see that he is not afraid.”
Commenting on the future of the Swiss Guard, the commander said that there may be difficulty in recruiting new members, but that it will ultimately “depend on the situation of the Church and the faith, and on the issue of the low birth rate.”
The Swiss Guard was established by Pope Julius II in 1506.
Its first real test came on May 6, 1527, during the sack of Rome, when 147 Swiss Guards died fighting against the troops of Emperor Carlos V to allow Pope Clement to escape. The few dozen guards that survived escorted the Holy Father to safety.
In memory of that day, new Swiss Guards are sworn in on May 6 each year, taking an oath to defend the Roman Pontiff with their very lives.
Guns of the Swiss Guard like this Glock 19 are well marked with Vatican insignias.
The Guard takes their mission seriously. In 1527 during the Sack of Rome, the Swiss Guard suffered more than 80% casualties in a rear guard action known forever as the Stand of the Swiss Guard, which allowed the then-current Pope to escape. The Guard responds to regular attacks on the Pope both in the Vatican and abroad.
Rifles of the Swiss Guard have long been whatever is standard with the Swiss Army. Since 1990, that has meant the SIG SG550 rifle.
Ping!
I hope they have lots of ammo there are a lot ISIS to kill.
They send in a false nun to explode IMO.
I thought the Pope fired the head of the Swiss Guard. Is this a new guy?
I think the current Pope relieved the commander of the Swiss Guard because he was “too protective”, and didn’t like the idea of the Pope walking among the crowd and handshaking the public.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30320800
The Orcs and Sauron are coming. Prophecies by Catholic saints speak of the Vatican being destroyed by the enemies of the Church.
I suspect any thinking regarding eliminating the Swiss Guard has been flushed. That was an interesting comment in the article regarding the low birthrate.
http://www.guns.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/guns-of-the-swiss-guard-like-this-glock-19-are-well-marked-with-vatican-insignia.jpgGuns of the Swiss Guard like this Glock 19 are well marked with Vatican insignias.
It would be so cool if those ever made it on to the surplus market.
France’s Swiss Guard fought to the death to protect the king of France during the revolution.
I doubt the Papal Swiss Guard will be any less heroic when the time calls.
The Guard responds to regular attacks on the Pope both in the Vatican and abroad.
Regular attacks? How often is Frank attacked at the Vatican?
Worse than the Swiss Guard’s uniform are the two men wearing Capris pants. I wonder if they have matching Euro-purses?
There have been rumors that the pope is going to dismiss the Swiss Guard. There was an FR thread about that recently.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3252739/posts?page=61
I watched a documentary about the Swiss Guard recently. It is a highly coveted position with strict regulations. They are not lightweights. Here’s some more info about them.
“The guards, who are independent of the Swiss armed forces, are employed by the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the pope, to whom they swear fealty in a ceremony at Belvedere Court.
As is common with any elite military corps, competition is intense for inclusion in the Swiss Guards. New recruits must be unmarried Roman Catholic males with Swiss citizenship, between 19 and 30 years of age, and at least 5 feet 8 inches (1.74 metres) tall; they must have a professional diploma or high school degree and must complete basic training with the Swiss military. (Historically, new recruits also had to prove they were free of physical deformities, and commanding officers were traditionally of noble lineage.)
The guards normally wear blue doublets and blue berets, but on ceremonial occasions they don the colourful Renaissance-era uniforms for which they are famous. They are among the oldest uniforms in continuous use, though Michelangelo, contrary to legend, probably did not design them. The tunics are striped in the colours of the Medici family: red, dark blue, and yellow. White ruffs and high plumed helmets (with ostrich feathers coloured to reflect different ranks) are also worn, as, on occasion, is armour.
While in traditional dress, the guards carry pikes and swords, but they are also trained in the use of modern weaponry and counterterrorism techniques.”
The young kid I can excuse, the older dude should know better.
In any case, I would never make fun of a guy carrying a sword. At least not to his face.
Catholics know how to handle Muslims.
Apologies for the duplicate ping. Some members were not included in the first one.
Friend of mine was in the Marines, they had some sort of joint training exercise for counter terrorism. Told me the last two groups he would ever mess with: The Russian special forces and the Swiss Guard. He didn’t elaborate and I didn’t ask.
My friend who was in the Marines during Vietnam said the same thing of the ROK Marines.
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