Can anyone join the Swiss Guard?

New recruits must be unmarried Roman Catholic males with Swiss citizenship, between 19 and 30 years of age, and at least 5 feet 8 inches (1.74 metres) tall; they must have a professional diploma or high school degree and must complete basic training with the Swiss military.

Can a non Swiss join the Swiss Guard?

Recruits to the guards must be unmarried Swiss, Catholic males between 18 and 30 years of age who have completed basic training with the Swiss Armed Forces.

Do the Swiss Guards get paid?

A recruit can expect to earn just over SFr1,500 ($942) a month - a seemingly paltry sum. However, Segmüller said the salary has to be seen alongside the other benefits of the job. "The guards pay no taxes or health insurance," he said.

Are Swiss Guards allowed to marry?

As if that didn't make the choosing hard enough, these men must also have undergone mandatory military service in Switzerland and mustn't be married. Although they are eventually allowed to marry, this is usually only permitted to those over the age of 25 who have reached the rank of Corporal.

Who is protected by Swiss Guards?

4. Working Life. The Swiss Guards along with the Pontifical Gendarmerie are responsible for safeguarding the Vatican and protecting the Pope. In addition to their security tasks, the Swiss Guards also carry out ceremonial duties, such as a guard of honor at receptions and audiences.

The Pontifical Swiss Guard

How are Swiss Guards chosen?

The guards, who are independent of the Swiss armed forces, are employed by the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the pope, to whom they swear fealty in a ceremony at Belvedere Court. As is common with any elite military corps, competition is intense for inclusion in the Swiss Guards.

Can an American join the Swiss army?

US-Swiss dual nationals resident in the USA cannot volunteer for military service in Switzerland. Swiss nationals in the US who are not US citizens at the same time can volunteer, if they are fluent in a Swiss national language.

Are there any female Swiss Guards?

Currently, only males are permitted to serve in the Swiss Guard. A Swiss organization is raising money to build the new housing center – also called a barracks. The organization signed an agreement with the Vatican's Secretary of State on May 4.

Are the Swiss Guards really Swiss?

Their officers were all Swiss and their rate of pay substantially higher than that of the regular French soldiers. The Guards were recruited from all Swiss cantons. The nominal establishment was 1,600 men though actual numbers seem to have normally been below this.

Do Swiss mercenaries still exist?

Switzerland's military isolationism largely put an end to organized mercenary activity; the principal remnant of the practice is the Pontifical Swiss Guard at the Vatican.

What is the pope's salary a year?

The pope will not be affected by the cuts, because he does not receive a salary. “As an absolute monarch, he has everything at his disposal and nothing at his disposal,” Mr. Muolo said. “He doesn't need an income, because he has everything that he needs.”

Who is the head of the Swiss Guard?

Christoph Graf (born 5 September 1961) is the 35th and current Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, appointed by Pope Francis on 7 February 2015, replacing Col. Daniel Anrig.

Does the Vatican have its own military?

The Vatican City State has never had independent armed forces, but it has always had a de facto military provided by the armed forces of the Holy See: the Pontifical Swiss Guard, the Noble Guard, the Palatine Guard, and the Papal Gendarmerie Corps.

Does the Vatican have a secret service?

For five centuries, the Vatican—the oldest organization in the world, maker of kings and shaper of history—has used a secret spy service, called the Holy Alliance, or later, the Entity, to carry out its will. Forty popes have relied on it to carry out their policies.

How many Swiss Guards are there?

Today there are 110 Swiss Guards at the Vatican, recruited from a group of Swiss towns and villages that for centuries have provided soldiers for the popes.

How can I get Swiss citizenship?

Are Swiss Guards elite?

They are members of the Swiss Guard - often referred to as the papal guards or Swiss mercenaries - an elite, company-sized military force that has defended a succession of popes for more than five centuries and not always without bloodshed.

Do the Swiss Guard live in Vatican City?

The Guardsmen live in barracks within the Vatican City. Beginning in a dormitory, they graduate to double or triple rooms and there are a small number of apartments for those guards who marry during their service.

Who polices Vatican City?

The Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City State (Italian: Corpo della Gendarmeria dello Stato della Città del Vaticano) is the gendarmerie, or police and security force, of Vatican City and the extraterritorial properties of the Holy See.

Can I join Swiss army as a foreigner?

Switzerland, like many countries, requires military service from most men. Women may serve if they wish. Foreigners are exempt. Swiss living abroad are also basically free from being recruited and serving in the military during times of peace as long as they remain abroad.

Do you lose US citizenship if you join a foreign army?

Under Section 401(c) of the Nationality Act of 1940 (1940 Act), U.S. nationals would lose their nationality by serving in the armed forces of a foreign state (1) unless expressly authorized by U.S. law and (2) only if the U.S. national had or acquired the nationality of the foreign state.

How much does the Swiss army pay?

The minimum compensation which all recruits are entitled to is 62 francs per day, regardless of whether or not they had an income prior to service.

What country has the smallest military?

Vatican City, the world's smallest country, has the smallest army. This army of 110 men, is also known as the Swiss Guard.

Has a pope ever been assassinated?

John VIII was the first pope to be assassinated during a particularly turbulent century that would see multiple claimants to the papacy and a succession of violent papal deaths.