Swiss Guards responsible for Pope's security
Nov 20, 2015
Vatican city has no armed forces of its own, although the Swiss Guard is the military corps of the Holy See, responsible for the personal security of the Pope.
Vatican city has no armed forces of its own, although the Swiss Guard is the military corps of the Holy See, responsible for the personal security of the Pope.
The Palatine Guard and the Noble Guard, the last armed forces of the Vatican City State, were disbanded by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
The Vatican City’s military defence is provided by the Italian armed forces.
Swiss Guards
Swiss mercenaries were historically recruited by popes as part of an army for the Papal States, and the Pontifical Swiss Guard was founded by Pope Julius II on January 22, 1506 as the Pope’s personal bodyguard and continues to fulfil that function. At the end of 2005, the guard had 134 members.
Recruitment is arranged by a special agreement between the Holy See and Switzerland.
Qualities
All recruits must be Catholic, unmarried males with Swiss citizenship who have completed their basic training with the Swiss Army and have certificates of good conduct, be between the ages of 19 and 30, and at least 174cm in height.
Members are equipped with small arms and the traditional halberd (also called the Swiss voulge), and trained in bodyguarding tactics.
Civil police
Civil defence is the responsibility of the national fire brigade known as the Corps of Firefighters of the Vatican City State.
The Corps are responsible for fire fighting, floods, natural disasters and mass casualty management. They are supervised through the Directorate for Security Services and Civil Defence, which is also responsible for the Gendarmerie.
Gendarmerie
The Gendarmerie Corps is the police and security force of Vatican city and the extraterritorial properties of the Holy See.
They are responsible for security, public order, border control, traffic control, criminal investigation and other general police duties in Vatican City, including providing security for the pope outside of Vatican City. The corps has 130 personnel and is a part of the Directorate for Security Services and Civil Defence, an organ of the Governorate of Vatican city.