When I watched a bit of the spectacular and colorful Swearing In Ceremony of the Swiss Guard at the Vatican, I thought to myself, Self, I don’t think I have seen a pope at attending a Swiss Guard Swearing-In Ceremony before. And now I know that my communication with myself is correct.
Read the Silere non possum commentary by pressing the title:
Leo XIV brings the Swiss Guard back to the center
Sound byte from the article:
The Francis years brought a drastic reduction in the role of the Swiss Guard, which for centuries had been the only corps allowed access to the Apostolic Palace and charged with ensuring the Pope’s personal protection. The Argentine Pontiff chose instead to favor the Vatican Gendarmerie, a body that includes figures excluded from Italian police forces, often admitted thanks to recommendations from prelates or powerful intermediaries. A reality, therefore, far removed from the seriousness and discipline that have always distinguished the Pontifical Swiss Guard. Indeed, there is no public competition to join the Gendarmerie, and selection follows opaque and personalistic logics, more bound to favoritism than to merit.
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