The swearing in of the Swiss Guard, annually takes place on May 6th. The new guards take their oath on the anniversary of the sack of Rome. On this day in 1527, 189 Swiss guards defended Pope Clement VII against German Landsknecht soldiers and Spanish mercenaries. Pope Clement VII and only 42 of the guards survived. Today, there are strict requirements on who can be a Swiss Guard. The guard must be a Swiss citizen, practicing Catholic and be between 19 and 30 years old. The recruit must be single and at least 5'8.5" feet tall. They must be available for at least 26 months of service.
Andreas Thonhauser is EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the WU Executive Academy in Vienna and a Master’s degree in German Philology/Anglistics and Americanistics from the University of Vienna. Prior to joining EWTN, Thonhauser worked as the Director of External Affairs for a global human rights organization, and for several media outlets in Vienna, Austria.
