The Swiss Guard: Early Church Security Team

While some people assume the concept of a church security/safety team is a modern idea to defend against criminals and terrorists, it actually extends back at least half-a-millennium, to the days of Christopher Columbus, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Middle Ages.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

Under Pope Julius II, the Swiss Guard was founded January 22, 1506 to be the protector of the church and defender of the papacy.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]

Today’s Swiss Guard is equipped with modern small arms and members in plain clothes now accompany the pope on his travels abroad for his protection.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Inspiring Military Mottos ]

Its motto is “Fiercely and Faithfully.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Tactical Training for Individuals and Church Security Teams to Thwart Active Violence Incidents (Part 2) ]

Each recruit must be Roman Catholic and is required to complete military training in Switzerland, followed by a 5-week induction training course in Rome, and then a period of training in the use of the primary weapons that mercenaries used in the 16th century, such as halberds, swords, pikes, crossbows, and plate armor.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense and Church Security: Proper Firearm Defense in a Crowd ]

The design of the Pontifical Swiss Guard banner has been changed several times. The modern banner is a square divided by a white cross into quarters (in the tradition of the banners historically used by the Swiss Guard in the 18th century). In the fourth quarter (lower right) is Pope Julius II’s coat of arms; in the first quarter (upper left) that of the reigning pope. The other two quarters display the Swiss Guard’s colors (red, yellow and blue, the colors of the House of Medici), and in the center of the cross is the commander’s own coat of arms. The current banner (as of 2016) thus shows the coat of arms of Pope Francis in the first quarter and a vignette of the family coat of arms of Christoph Graf in the center.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 5 Lines of Defense in Church Security, Beginning Outside ]

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