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Pope Francis: ‘Disarmament is a moral obligation’Pope Francis marks the upcoming International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness challenging our family of nations to be bold and work for disarmament.... Moral obligation“I strongly hope that the international community understands that disarmament is, above all, a duty: disarmament is a moral obligation.”

Vatican Swiss Guard's new barracks designed to include women, newspaper says VIENNA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The new barracks of the Vatican Swiss Guard, the elite and colourfully dressed corps that protects the pope, will be designed to accommodate female guards even though they are not yet allowed, a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday.Nearly all of the guard are single men who live in a communal barracks just inside the Vatican gates. The commanders and married members live in separate apartments. All members are Swiss citizens.The 50 million Swiss franc ($54.49 million) project for a new barracks is due to...

The chief of the Swiss Guards, the force that protects the Vatican, has said it is only “a matter of time” before an attack that is inspired or directed by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) against the home of the Catholic church. Commander Christoph Graf, speaking to Swiss Catholic news website cath.ch, said that the security force for Pope Francis is prepared for any act of extremism. “Perhaps it is only a matter of time before an attack like that happens in Rome. But we are ready also for this,” he said. Created in the 16th century, the force...

I assume the Pope will now be having the Swiss Guard disarmed, and foreswearing any and all protection by the Italian police and military: People who manufacture weapons or invest in weapons industries are hypocrites if they call themselves Christian, Pope Francis said on Sunday. Francis issued his toughest condemnation to date of the weapons industry at a rally of thousands of young people at the end of the first day of his trip to the Italian city of Turin. “If you trust only men you have lost,” he told the young people in a long, rambling talk about war,...

For months, there have been rumors that the Argentine Pope could abolish the Pontifical Swiss Guard. In recent days, the speculation has intensified. This is due to the dismissal of Colonel Daniel Rudolf Anrig, commander of the Swiss Guard.

As readers of The Remnant may recall, while in Rome last summer I wrote an article which focused on the traditions and history of the Swiss Guard, and centered around the "giuramento," or swearing in, ceremony of the new Guardsmen. Few, if any, who have come in contact with the Guardsmen are not impressed with their courtesy, their military discipline, and their devotion to the Church. Along with these very distinctive young men, I had the good fortune of attending a press conference in which the Commander of the Swiss Guard, Colonel Daniel Anrig, impressed the gaggle of reporters by...

A former commander of the Swiss Guard is claiming a “network of homosexuals” inside the Vatican could pose security problems for Pope Francis.

The head of the all-male Swiss Guard who defend the pope said Wednesday that women could be recruited to the elite force. The comment was made by Swiss Guard commander, Colonel Daniel Anrig, as the latest 32 recruits were sworn in. "That could be possible," said Anrig in a television interview when asked about women joining. "Personally, I can see them accomplishing certain tasks." Cohabitation in the Vatican's barracks might present some problems, but every problem had a solution, he added. Anrig's predecessor, Colonel Elmar Moeder, who he replaced in August, categorically rejected the idea back in 2004. The Swiss...

Pope Benedict XVI swore in the latest recruits to the Swiss Guard on Wednesday, the anniversary of the Sack of Rome. Almost 500 years ago, a German mercenary army went on a rampage in the Eternal City. It was the Swiss Guard's bravery that allowed the pope to escape to safety. It was something that people across Europe could not quite believe had happened. Brutish intruders with wheel-lock pistols and long spears had been allowed to capture the Eternal City. Rome's Aurelian Walls had failed. The air in the city was filled with the prayers of desperate citizens, beseeching God...

After more than five centuries protecting popes, the Swiss Guard may consider opening the ranks of the world's smallest army to women, its commander said Tuesday. "I can imagine them for one role or another. Certainly we can think about this," Daniel Anrig, who took over the post late last year, told Italian television program "Studio Aperto." Anrig's remarks could represent a major change in position regarding the future of the elite corps composed entirely of 19- to 30-year-old Catholic men hailing from the Swiss Army. Anrig's predecessor argued that mixing the sexes could be more trouble than it was...

The Swiss Guard's new commander said he was willing to consider the possibility of allowing female recruits...

New York, Apr 13, 2008 / 02:28 am (CNA).- Massive security operations will protect Pope Benedict XVI in his visit to New York City, including bomb-sniffing dogs, rooftop snipers and hovering helicopters, CBS News reports. "The closer you are to those locations, the more you are going to feel the effects of it," said NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.A reporter asked Kelly if the security for the visit will be like a United Nations General Assembly, followed by a parade, followed by a presidential visit, Kelly said “yes.”On Friday the Pope’s visits to the United Nations, the Park East Synagogue,...

ROME — The head of the Vatican's Swiss Guard has resigned in a turf battle between the Swiss and a rival Italian security force over who gets to guard the pope a dispute that could hinder security for Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to the U.S. Col. Elmar Theodore Maeder decided yesterday not to seek a second five-year mandate as head of the pantalooned bodyguards, the smallest army in the world, according to Italian press reports independently confirmed by The Washington Times. The disagreement stemmed from a proposal by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the powerful Vatican Secretary of State, to deprive...

A group of former Swiss Vatican Guards have arrived in Rome after re-enacting a legendary march from Switzerland undertaken 500 years ago. Their arrival marks the start of the events celebrating the 500th anniversary of the founding of the "smallest army in the world".  Some 70 former guardsmen, from 25 to 76 years of age, covered the same arduous 720-kilometre route from Bellinzona to the Vatican City. The march – which took 28 days - followed the historic "Via Francigena" pilgrimage route to Rome. Fifty other former papal guards also walked part of the way. Pope's blessing  A busy programme has...

I hadn't realized before that the Papal Swiss Guards had fought outside the Papal States. But 12 were at the Battle of Lepanto! Fascinating! I wish I could learn more about them at the battle.

They are known as the "Defenders of the Church" and this weekend the Vatican Swiss Guard will celebrate 500 years of service. In that time they have protected 42 successive popes, although more recently the Vatican has been guarded by Italian security forces and plainclothes police. But personal safety of the pope is still the guards' full responsibility. The guards first arrived in Rome on 22 January 1506. At that time, Helvetian soldiers were employed as mercenaries, renowned for their courage and their loyalty. There were many famous battles, but their most notable hour came in 1527, during the sack...

Swiss Guard fights off women PHILIP PULLELLA IN VATICAN CITY THE Vatican told women yesterday they have no chance of joining the Swiss Guard, the world's oldest and most colourful mercenary force. The "women need not apply" position was underscored at a news conference unveiling plans for six months of celebrations next year to mark the 500th anniversary of the founding of the elite corps which protects the Pope and guards the Vatican. The corps has not seen action for centuries and its commandant, Colonel Elmar Mader, made it clear that one battle he did not want was one of...

As people in Rome say, "While popes pass on, the Swiss Guard remains." Starting next year, the pope's personal guard, whose colorful uniforms and antiquated weaponry fascinate Vatican visitors, will celebrate 500 years of almost uninterrupted service to 42 successive pontiffs.The guard plans to mark the historic anniversary with a special stamp series put out jointly by the Vatican and Switzerland, and a number of events. The highlight will be a springtime march from Switzerland to the Eternal City by veterans of the tiny army, recreating the arrival of 150 Swiss mercenaries in Rome on Jan. 22, 1506, to do...

Don't be fooled by their designer duds. Under those bright, baggy bloomers and a tilted beret stands a lean, mean fighting machine as well as a courteous helper of lost or curious tourists. He is a Swiss Guard. He stands at least 5 feet 8 inches tall, is an ironclad Catholic of "irreproachable" character, young and single, has clocked in at least 19 birthdays and usually no more than 30, and he is Swiss. He also has completed rigorous entrance requirements and Swiss army training, making him a member of an elite guard who is ready at any moment to...

CORPSES IN THE VATICAN ON 4 May 1998, twenty years after the mysterious death of John Paul I, Cedric Tornay, a twenty-three year old vice-corporal in the Vatican Swiss Guards killed his superior, Colonel Alois Estermann, and his wife Gladys with his regulation pistol. He then took his own life. The Colonel (seen here) was forty-four and had been promoted the day before to take command of the pontifical army.      At least that is the official version, issued barely three hours after the drama by Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the Vatican spokesman, and “confirmed” in February 1999: after a nine month...