Pope Addresses the Swiss Guards

(May 07, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI welcomed the newly sworn in Swiss guards along with their families and other Swiss Guards in Rome on Thursday, 7^th of May at 11.30 am. He welcomed the new commander Colonel Anrig, and thanked him very much for the responsible use for the benefit of the Successor of Peter and the Church. He also thanked the Guard chaplain Monsignor de Raemy, the daily interaction of the guardsmen and the personal faith of each individual in accompanied empathetic manner. The Pope appreciated their service, day and night in the Apostolic Palace and at the outpost of the Vatican City. He reminded them of the three dimensions that are almost as concentric circles around them that is: their task is to protect the successor of the apostle Peter. They do this service, especially in the House of the Pope. They do it in Rome, a city of ancient times, the "Eternal City". And here at the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, where the Pope resides, is the heart of the Catholic Church, and where they render their service.
On Thursday in the courtyard of the Vatican apostolic palace, 32 new recruits were added to the ranks of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, currently led by Commander Daniel Anrig. May 6 is the traditional swearing-in day for new guards because on that day in 1527, some 150 members of the Swiss Guard lost their lives during the sack of Rome, protecting Pope Clement VII and the Church from the onslaught of Emperor Charles V's troops. There was a Mass for the recruits and their families, celebrated by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's secretary of state, in St. Peter's Basilica. The swearing-in ceremony took place in the presence of members of the Roman Curia, diplomatic representatives and civil and religious authorities from Switzerland, including Major-General Andre Blattman, the new commander-in-chief of the Swiss armed forces.