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 upon, the 24-year-old from a tiny Swiss town near Lake Constance yelled his oath to protect the pope and his legitimate successors with his life. Peter is one of 34 young Catholic men who became members of the Swiss Guard Monday (May 6) at a ceremony held in St. Damaso courtyard at the Vatican. Though the young men, all actually Swiss, committed to the imposing task of defending the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.5 billion Catholics, becoming a Swiss Guard today is less about combat and more about empathy, charity and listening.
A few days before, on a sunny afternoon outside the guards’ Vatican barracks, a number of the new recruits trained for Monday’s ceremony, clicking their heels to the sound of battle drums. Officers watched their every move as they turned and marched, ordering the recruits to repeat the gestures seemingly endlessly, despite the weight of their heavy iron armor and helmets.
Peter smiled nervously thinking about the upcoming ceremony, where he would also play the trumpet fa …
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A few days before, on a sunny afternoon outside the guards’ Vatican barracks, a number of the new recruits trained for Monday’s ceremony, clicking their heels to the sound of battle drums. Officers watched their every move as they turned and marched, ordering the recruits to repeat the gestures seemingly endlessly, despite the weight of their heavy iron armor and helmets.
Peter smiled nervously thinking about the upcoming ceremony, where he would also play the trumpet fa …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]