Colourful Soldiers: Who Are the Vatican's Swiss Guards?

Curious tourists often compare the Vatican's Swiss Guards to medieval court jesters, as they wear plumed helmets, frilled collars, and colorful uniforms with puffed sleeves. Now, these men's main job is to protect the Pope. And they certainly get a lot of attention today. But are they as simple as they seem?

The world's smallest army, whose primary mission is to protect the pope, has undergone extensive training. With no living pontiff to protect, the Guard has joined a massive security operation involving specialized Italian police and military units tasked with monitoring the Vatican and Rome during Pope Francis' funeral and subsequent conclave.

Dressed in the traditional Renaissance-style red, yellow and blue uniforms, their first task this week was to guard the body of Pope Francis. Holding traditional halberds, they stood guard as the open coffin was carried across St. Peter's Square to the 16th-century basilica where Francis lay until Friday evening. Two barely blinking guards kept vigil over the pontiff's body.

After the funeral mass, the army will take part in the procession to carry the coffin from the Vatican to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome's Esquilino district, where the pontiff will be buried in a tomb chosen by Francis himself.

Given the scale of the event, the Swiss Guards (an army of 135) face several challenging days.

They will be tasked with guarding both the conclave – the secret vote to elect a new pope that will take place in the Sistine Chapel – and also carrying out their function of patrolling the Vatican's borders.

The army has been part of the Vatican since the early 16th century, when Swiss mercenaries, renowned for their bravery and loyalty, went to Rome to serve Pope Julius II.

In 2018, Pope Francis increased their number from 110 to 135 following a series of terrorist attacks in France and other European countries, and in preparation for this year's Catholic jubilee.

The traditional weapon of the guards is the halberd, but soldiers are also trained to use modern small arms and stun guns.

As for the requirements for candidates to become a guard, recruits must be Swiss men between the ages of 19 and 30, taller than 1.74 meters, unmarried and devout Catholics with an "impeccable reputation."

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