Posted on 04/05/2005 8:26:35 AM PDT by PopGonzalez
Swiss watchers
The papal guard may dress colourfully but you would be unwise to call them dandies, writes W Thomas Smith Jr W Thomas Smith Jr Tuesday April 5, 2005
Guardian Unlimited Are the Pope's colourfully uniformed guards just for show? The question has frequently been asked in the wake of John Paul II's death. The answer is that these soldiers are indeed not only "stood up" for ceremonial purposes. They are members of the Swiss Guard - often referred to as the papal guards or Swiss mercenaries - an elite, company-sized military force that has defended a succession of popes for more than five centuries and not always without bloodshed.
Recognisable by their Renaissance-era striped uniforms (legend has it the uniform was designed by Michelangelo), armour, halberds and helmets plumed with Ostrich feathers, the Swiss Guards are best known to outsiders as the armed men who stand watch throughout the Apostolic Palace, including at the doors to the Pope's private apartments and the exterior gates of the Vatican. The guards are a favorite subject of photographers and tourists, and their quiet presence is an impressive show of force much like the US marines at the White House and the various regiments that guard Buckingham Palace.
Like American marines and British guardsmen, the Swiss Guard are crack soldiers, trained and equipped to fight an armed enemy should the need arise. They have long served as contract mercenaries to non-Swiss heads of state and others.
The Swiss Guard officially assumed Papal defence duties on January 22 1506. The unit's most desperate action occurred 21 years later, on May 6 1527, when 147 guardsmen - out of 189 - were killed in a defensive action that enabled Pope Clement VII to escape from Spanish forces on the attack.
The only blemish on the guards' record occurred in 1798, when Napoleon occupied Rome, captured and deported Pope Pius VI and subsequently disbanded the Papal guard. Napoleon did, however, deploy other, non-Papal Swiss Guard units, also noted for their combat prowess, within the ranks of his Grande Armée.
When Hitler's army entered Rome in World War II, Swiss Guardsmen donned subdued, grey uniforms and took up positions behind machineguns and mortars. Though vastly outnumbered, they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for the Holy Father, but the Germans did not move against the Vatican.
That tradition of defending the Pope to the death continues today, as each of the 100 Swiss Guards must abide by the following oath: "I swear I will faithfully, loyally and honourably serve the supreme pontiff [name of Pope] and his legitimate successors and also dedicate myself to them with all my strength, sacrificing if necessary also my life to defend them. I assume this same commitment with regard to the Sacred College of Cardinals whenever the See is vacant. Furthermore, I promise to the commanding captain and my other superiors, respect, fidelity and obedience. This I swear! May God and our holy patrons assist me!"
As with other elite military units, the competition to join the Swiss Guard is keen. All recruits must be unmarried Roman Catholic males between the ages of 19 and 30. They must stand at least 172cm (5ft 8in) tall, and they must have completed military training in the Swiss armed forces. Once joined, they learn to handle swords and halberds, just as their predecessors did. Additionally, they are required to maintain a high level of physical fitness and a mastery of modern weaponry such as the SIG Sauer 9mm pistol and the H&K submachinegun. They also work hard at developing skills in close-quarters fighting, tactical movement, security, and counter-terrorism techniques.
Aside from its noble history, reputation and current capabilities , the Swiss Guard has, in recent years, suffered tragedy.
On May 13 1981, the would-be assassin Mehmet Ali Agca - a Turkish gunman allegedly under indirect KGB orders - shot Pope John Paul II while the pontiff was riding in an open vehicle through St Peter's Square. Instantly, a plainclothes Swiss Guard officer rushed to the wounded pontiff's aid and shielded him with his own body as the vehicle raced to the hospital.
The Pope, of course, survived. The Guard officer, Alois Estermann, became an instant hero and would ultimately be promoted to the rank of captain commander of the Swiss Guard. A few hours after this promotion, on May 4 1998, Estermann and his wife were shot to death by Corporal Cedric Tornay, a disgruntled Guardsman who then took his own life.
Today, outsiders throughout the world view the Swiss Guard as upholding a grand military tradition. Active and former professional soldiers, like myself, hold the unit in very high regard. And those who live and work within the walls of the Vatican are confident that the men in "the world's smallest army" will continue to defend the sovereign Vatican City and its soon-to-be-elected Pope against all threats.
© MilitaryWeek.com Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
That's what I've always heard, you don't mess with these guys.
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
Yeah, when I was in Rome they were a sight to see. No nonsense guys. A bunch of dopey tourists wanted to stand next to them and get their pictures taken. The guards would have none of it.
This is planned as an act full of symbolism, to pusnish the Swiss people for refusing to give up their independence.
Reminder: despite increasing share of postal vote and all media and government propaganda to join the EU, Swiss rejected this in referendum.
Even Texans wouldn't mess with these guys.
I wouldn't go that far.
Ok, OK....just trying to be a team player here.
NOT!
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