Between tradition, faith and mission to protect the Pope

“Originally, it was the military side that attracted me, especially since it had to go hand in hand with the expression of a true faith. This is how Vice-Caporal Didier Grandjean, 28 years old (in 2018), from French-speaking Switzerland (French-speaking) explains why he applied, in 2011, to the body of Swiss guards, while he was in apprenticeship to become a gardener-country. “I had already heard in 2006, when the Swiss guard celebrated its 500 years of service with the Pope. The idea has slowly made its way. »»

A drastic selection

Like all applicants, Didier Grandjean had to do his Swiss military service first and then two months of special “very serious” training after a drastic selection: you must already measure at least 1.74 m, be 19 to 30 years old. Then, during an interview, the recruiter verifies that they are single, in good physical condition, practicing Catholics and that they have no criminal record. “Then we pass two other interviews, one with the commander of the guard and the other with the chaplain. »»

Ready to die for the pope

Once selected and trained, the recruits engage for at least twenty-six months and take an oath to the Pope during an impressive ceremony which takes place every May 6, in memory of the Rome bag, on May 6, 1527. During this dramatic episode, 147 Swiss guards on 189 perished.

“We know that we can be called to die for the pope,” says Didier Grandjean, showing, in artillery, the modern weapons assigned to them during the supervisory missions. Far from the halberds that they are seen to present at the gates of Saint-Pierre! “We are not operetta soldiers,” smiles the young non-commissioned officer. We share with the Vatican gendarmerie, for example, the role of bodyguards around the papamobile, during the crowds of the Holy Father. Where everything can happen, including simple, but dangerous, overflows of affection. »»

For this mission, the guards are in black civilian costume, and not dressed in their famous blue, yellow and red uniform drawn by an esthete commander, in 1914: he was inspired by the colors of Jules II and the Medici, the Renaissance soldiers painted by Raphaël. For Christmas, Easter, the oath or election of the Pope, the Swiss add a strawberry around the neck and parade helmets.

From 110 to 135 Swiss guards

On a daily basis, however, the guards often put on their “exercise uniform”, midnight blue, elegant and simpler, for example to monitor the flood of employees and visitors who pass every day through the Sainte-Anne gate, a real administrative entrance to the Vatican. “Between the many trips of the Pope and his desire to reside now at the Hôtellerie Sainte-Marthe where there is a lot of passage, we were not numerous enough to ensure security,” specifies Didier Grandjean

This is why in, a reform made their number from 110 to 135. In recent years, the guards have not been all German -speaking “but it is necessary to understand enough German to follow orders” and the learning of Italian is essential: “Multilingualism is very useful because, here, we are in contact with the whole world.”

They are required to go to mass every Sunday

The young man willingly visit the severe barracks at the Sainte-Anne gate, which houses the smallest army in the world. Surprise: children play in one of the courses under the gaze of a few mothers … Some Swiss guards are in fact career and then have the right to get married. But their families must then reside in the barracks where there are some apartments in addition to the rooms and individual rooms.

The barracks also houses a large refectory where Polish sisters provide meals and sports rooms for physical training. Lines drawn on the ground, in the courtyard, are used for exercises. Their chapel, on the other hand, is outside, discreetly backed by the old rampart, in the shadow of the Colonnade du Bernin. The guards are required to go to mass at least every Sunday and parties.

Solitude and reflection

If most of them return, at the end of their commitment, to their primary profession or find work in the security sector, each year, one or two of them discover a priestly vocation.

It is not surprising for this for the vice-cap, because this commitment, if it allows meetings of all kinds, also includes, during the long night guards “great moments of loneliness which invite for prayer and reflection”. In any case, the twenty-six months of service transform these young men and give them great maturity. “We live in a particular environment,” concludes Didier Grandjean, where we constantly feel that we are both at the service of the Universal Church and the heirs of a very strong history. Their mission is also to become the continuators.