Government of Catholic Church (Vatican State)

The end of the secular power of the Pope and the Church-1870

The Franco-Prussian War, which broke out in July 1870, marked the end of the secular power of the Church, because Napoleon III had to recall the French occupying troops to his homeland. The Italian government assured the Pope that the agreement of September 1864 would be respected, but as soon as Napoleon’s fortunes in the war began to falter, the army of the Kingdom of Italy surrounded the territories belonging to the Church.

After the defeat of Sedan and the proclamation of the French Republic, the military siege tightened and, on 20 September 1870, the royal troops marched on Rome passing through the breach of “Porta Pia” after having exploded some cannon shots. Pius IX, eager to avoid any bloodshed, had given orders to General Kanzler, commander in chief of the Papal Forces, to limit the defense to what was indispensable, to demonstrate that one would only yield to force. The following day the papal troops were dismissed and only the Swiss Guard remained inside the Vatican.

On the morning of 6 May 1527 (Sack of the Rome)

by

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V

In the Time of  of England’s King Henry VIII, Martin Luther and Michelangelo 

On 5 June Pope Clement VII surrendered and had to submit to harsh conditions: the surrender of the fortresses of Ostia, Civitavecchia and Civita Castellana, the cession of the cities of Modena, Parma and Piacenza and the payment of four hundred thousand ducats. The papal garrison was replaced by four companies of Germans and Spaniards. The Pontifical Swiss Guard was abolished and 200 landsknechts took over. The Pope obtained that the surviving Swiss be included in the new Guard, but only twelve of them accepted, including Hans Gutenberg of Chur and Albert Rosin of Zurich. The others wanted nothing to do with the hated landsknechts.

“Some priests were, indeed, eviscerated. Others were stripped naked and forced to utter blasphemies on pain of death or to take part in profane travesties of the Mass. One priest was murdered by Lutherans when he refused to administer Holy Communion to an ass. Cardinal Cajetan was dragged through the streets in chains, insulted and tortured; Cardinal Ponzetti, who was over eighty years old, shared his sufferings and, having parted with 20,000 ducats, died from the injuries inflicted upon him. Nuns, like other women, were violated, sold in the streets at auction and used as counters in games of chance. Mothers and fathers were forced to watch and even to assist at the multiple rape of their daughters. Convents became brothels into which women of the upper classes were dragged and stripped. ‘Marchionesses, countesses and baronesses,’ wrote the Sieur de Brantôme, ‘served the unruly troops, and for long afterwards the patrician women of the city were known as “the relics of the Sack of Rome”[Rome: The Biography of a City]

Requirements to become a Swiss Guard

Practicing Catholic

A Swiss Guard is a practicing Catholic. He works in the heart of the Roman Catholic Curia, constantly meets pilgrims and tourists from all over the world who go to the Tomb of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and participates in liturgical celebrations in the Vatican. The Swiss Guard, with its religious affiliation and practice, undoubtedly represents a “business card” of the Holy Father.

Swiss citizen

Swiss citizenship is one of the basic requirements – it is a tradition dating back over 500 years and is a source of great honor for Switzerland. Candidates must be able to integrate into the Corps thanks to their typical Swiss characteristics. A future Swiss Guard must therefore absolutely identify with her homeland, be familiar with the culture and actively live Swiss values ​​and virtues.