Meeting on May 6 with new recruits to the Swiss Guard, Pope Francis encouraged them to “dedicate yourselves to an exquisitely ecclesial task,” and to recognize that their duties involve “a Christian and communal witness.”
The Pontiff met with the new recruits and their families prior to their formal swearing-in ceremony. The ceremony is held annually on May 6, the anniversary of the day in 1527 when 147 members of the Swiss Guard died in the successful defense of the Pope during the Sack of Rome.