VATICAN CITY (RNS) — With a determined gaze, Renato Peter clenched the flag of the Swiss Guard in his fist while holding up three fingers of his other hand in a salute to the Holy Trinity. When called ...

The Swiss Guard is a military body tasked with protecting the pope. 135 men make up the Swiss Guard. Swiss Guard recruits must be a single man between the age of 19-30 who is a practicing Catholic and ...

Armor like a knight on horseback. A helmet with bright-colored plumes sticking out. Wide blue and gold-striped pants that can seem almost clown-like. The Swiss Guard, the pope’s iconic bodyguards, ...

The Swiss Guards were founded by Pope Julius II in 1506. It is a military body made up of Swiss citizens, whose main task is to constantly monitor the Pope. Their main task is to constantly monitor ...

(RNS) — Swiss Guards may not have to go to battle for the pope, but they engage in spiritual war to help hopefuls coming to the Vatican. VATICAN CITY (RNS) — With a determined gaze, Renato Peter ...

As the late Pope Francis greeted thousands of guests in Vatican City on Easter Sunday, the Swiss Guard was not far, watching over the pontiff as it has done for more than 500 years. At the age of 88, ...