Post by Bozur on Nov 24, 2005 1:29:00 GMT -5
Neuhausen Journal
Swiss Guard Marks 500 Years as Popes' Potted Plants
By JOHN TAGLIABUE
Published: November 18, 2005
NEUHAUSEN, Switzerland - In late 1505, Pope Julius II asked the Swiss, an impoverished people at that time before bank secrecy, whose exports consisted mainly of their own sons, to dispatch 200 soldiers to Rome to serve as his personal palace guard.
James Hill for The New York Times
The Swiss Guard's 16th-century helmet is a dominant icon during the 500th anniversary of its first march.
Swiss mercenaries once served in a number of European countries, most notably as the guard of the French kings, but the papal guard is the only one to have survived.
So this year the veterans of the guard throughout the valleys and mountains of Switzerland are preparing to celebrate its 500th anniversary. Pins and baseball caps with the distinctive guard helmet, T-shirts, watches, ties and Swiss Army knives are on sale.
The celebrations began in September with a Mass and rally of veterans in Lucerne, in central Switzerland. But the main event will be a march to Rome, from Bellinzona in southern Switzerland, by 80 or so veterans, to recall the march of the original 200 in 1505.
Then, on the date that is seen as the founding moment, May 6, the latest round of fresh recruits in their distinctive 16th-century-style uniforms, will be sworn in.
The swearing in of new recruits usually takes place in the privacy of the Cortile di San Damaso at the Vatican. But this time it will happen in full public view on St. Peter's Square. The date is as much a celebration as an anniversary, since the guard, which now numbers 110 guardsmen, has survived a series of crises in recent years.
In 1998, the guard commander and his wife were murdered in their apartment in the Vatican by a young guardsman, who then killed himself. And in 1981, the guard was unable to prevent a Turkish would-be assassin from shooting Pope John Paul II, even though their members rode with him in civilian clothes in his open vehicle.
Of course, that all pales in comparison with the day in 1527 when the troops of Emperor Charles V invaded Rome and massacred 147 guardsmen in front of St. Peter's Basilica as they defended Pope Clement VII, who escaped unhurt.
And in 1970, for less brutal reasons, the guard appeared to be on the verge of extinction, after Pope Paul VI announced that he was abolishing the papal military orders, including the Noble Guard and the papal Gendarmes.
The uncertainty tapped morale, and the number of guardsmen shrunk to only 42. Few young Swiss men had any interest in joining up. At the last minute, though, the pope said the Swiss Guard would be excepted.
These days, the guard seems to have put its troubles behind it. "The guard is in very excellent condition," said Jacques Babey, a biochemist who is the president of the veterans' organization, which is responsible for the commemorative events.
After the murder of the commander, stricter conditions for entry were introduced. Recent publicity surrounding the anniversary has aroused interest among many young Swiss. "And of course," Mr. Babey said with a laugh, "the fact that guardsmen are now paid in euros rather than Italian lire."
Mr. Babey, 65, recalled his days as a guardsman from 1960 to 1964. He signed up at 19, he said, principally to see another country and learn other languages and customs, and served under Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI at the time of the Second Vatican Council, which aimed to bring the church into the modern world.
Like Mr. Babey, Karl-Heinz Früh said he signed up to live in another country, to learn languages and "to see the church backstage." He served for more than a decade, from 1968 to 1979, and experienced two conclaves, or papal elections, and three popes. "I liked Rome; Rome became my second homeland," said Mr. Früh, 59. "But most of all, I found love in Rome."
While serving as an officer (ordinary guardsmen are not permitted to marry), he met a young Italian woman, fell in love and married. While living in the Vatican in 1977, the couple had a baby girl, whom they named, in true Swiss fashion, Heidi.
Mr. Früh now runs an executive search firm, so he is well equipped for his current duties as the guard's information and recruiting officer. In his offices, above a Turkish restaurant called Istanbul, he interviews all prospective applicants and makes a preliminary selection. The final choice is made by the guard commander in Rome.
Events that have highlighted the Vatican, like the election of the new pope and the celebrations of the jubilee year in 2000, have awakened the interest of young Swiss in the guard. Now Mr. Früh gets as many as 90 applications for the 25 to 30 yearly openings.
"And they come better equipped," he said. "Some have studied, they speak languages." The celebrations have also been a time for the veterans to re-establish old links. About 600 of the roughly 900 veterans still living in Switzerland are active in the veterans' organization that Mr. Babey heads.
And what do they do when they get together? Like all veterans, they tell and retell old war stories. "The worst is the religious fanatic, who wants to pass a message personally to the Holy Father," Mr. Früh said. "You cannot beat him, so you have to use other tactics."
Hence the modern guardsmen carry tear gas and pepper spray in addition to their halberds, the combination of spear and battle-ax that the guardsmen carry.
Mr. Babey, with a lighter touch, recalled his service under John XXIII during the Second Vatican Council. Mr. Babey recounted how, on the council's third day, Cardinal Nicola Canali, a conservative, reportedly told the pope, "Holy Father, the devil is roaming the floor of that council."
Pope John, he went on, was said to have replied, "But your eminence, do you think the devil would offend us by not being present?"
Swiss Guard Marks 500 Years as Popes' Potted Plants
By JOHN TAGLIABUE
Published: November 18, 2005
NEUHAUSEN, Switzerland - In late 1505, Pope Julius II asked the Swiss, an impoverished people at that time before bank secrecy, whose exports consisted mainly of their own sons, to dispatch 200 soldiers to Rome to serve as his personal palace guard.
James Hill for The New York Times
The Swiss Guard's 16th-century helmet is a dominant icon during the 500th anniversary of its first march.
Swiss mercenaries once served in a number of European countries, most notably as the guard of the French kings, but the papal guard is the only one to have survived.
So this year the veterans of the guard throughout the valleys and mountains of Switzerland are preparing to celebrate its 500th anniversary. Pins and baseball caps with the distinctive guard helmet, T-shirts, watches, ties and Swiss Army knives are on sale.
The celebrations began in September with a Mass and rally of veterans in Lucerne, in central Switzerland. But the main event will be a march to Rome, from Bellinzona in southern Switzerland, by 80 or so veterans, to recall the march of the original 200 in 1505.
Then, on the date that is seen as the founding moment, May 6, the latest round of fresh recruits in their distinctive 16th-century-style uniforms, will be sworn in.
The swearing in of new recruits usually takes place in the privacy of the Cortile di San Damaso at the Vatican. But this time it will happen in full public view on St. Peter's Square. The date is as much a celebration as an anniversary, since the guard, which now numbers 110 guardsmen, has survived a series of crises in recent years.
In 1998, the guard commander and his wife were murdered in their apartment in the Vatican by a young guardsman, who then killed himself. And in 1981, the guard was unable to prevent a Turkish would-be assassin from shooting Pope John Paul II, even though their members rode with him in civilian clothes in his open vehicle.
Of course, that all pales in comparison with the day in 1527 when the troops of Emperor Charles V invaded Rome and massacred 147 guardsmen in front of St. Peter's Basilica as they defended Pope Clement VII, who escaped unhurt.
And in 1970, for less brutal reasons, the guard appeared to be on the verge of extinction, after Pope Paul VI announced that he was abolishing the papal military orders, including the Noble Guard and the papal Gendarmes.
The uncertainty tapped morale, and the number of guardsmen shrunk to only 42. Few young Swiss men had any interest in joining up. At the last minute, though, the pope said the Swiss Guard would be excepted.
These days, the guard seems to have put its troubles behind it. "The guard is in very excellent condition," said Jacques Babey, a biochemist who is the president of the veterans' organization, which is responsible for the commemorative events.
After the murder of the commander, stricter conditions for entry were introduced. Recent publicity surrounding the anniversary has aroused interest among many young Swiss. "And of course," Mr. Babey said with a laugh, "the fact that guardsmen are now paid in euros rather than Italian lire."
Mr. Babey, 65, recalled his days as a guardsman from 1960 to 1964. He signed up at 19, he said, principally to see another country and learn other languages and customs, and served under Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI at the time of the Second Vatican Council, which aimed to bring the church into the modern world.
Like Mr. Babey, Karl-Heinz Früh said he signed up to live in another country, to learn languages and "to see the church backstage." He served for more than a decade, from 1968 to 1979, and experienced two conclaves, or papal elections, and three popes. "I liked Rome; Rome became my second homeland," said Mr. Früh, 59. "But most of all, I found love in Rome."
While serving as an officer (ordinary guardsmen are not permitted to marry), he met a young Italian woman, fell in love and married. While living in the Vatican in 1977, the couple had a baby girl, whom they named, in true Swiss fashion, Heidi.
Mr. Früh now runs an executive search firm, so he is well equipped for his current duties as the guard's information and recruiting officer. In his offices, above a Turkish restaurant called Istanbul, he interviews all prospective applicants and makes a preliminary selection. The final choice is made by the guard commander in Rome.
Events that have highlighted the Vatican, like the election of the new pope and the celebrations of the jubilee year in 2000, have awakened the interest of young Swiss in the guard. Now Mr. Früh gets as many as 90 applications for the 25 to 30 yearly openings.
"And they come better equipped," he said. "Some have studied, they speak languages." The celebrations have also been a time for the veterans to re-establish old links. About 600 of the roughly 900 veterans still living in Switzerland are active in the veterans' organization that Mr. Babey heads.
And what do they do when they get together? Like all veterans, they tell and retell old war stories. "The worst is the religious fanatic, who wants to pass a message personally to the Holy Father," Mr. Früh said. "You cannot beat him, so you have to use other tactics."
Hence the modern guardsmen carry tear gas and pepper spray in addition to their halberds, the combination of spear and battle-ax that the guardsmen carry.
Mr. Babey, with a lighter touch, recalled his service under John XXIII during the Second Vatican Council. Mr. Babey recounted how, on the council's third day, Cardinal Nicola Canali, a conservative, reportedly told the pope, "Holy Father, the devil is roaming the floor of that council."
Pope John, he went on, was said to have replied, "But your eminence, do you think the devil would offend us by not being present?"