Swiss Guards at the Saint Peter’s Basilica
We were on our way out of the Saint Peter’s Basilica grounds when I caught a glimpse of two men in very colorful clothes. They weren’t just any men. The were the Swiss Guards. Given how small the Vatican City is, it is hard to imagine that it is a sovereign state. Like all sovereign states, the Vatican also has an army. This one isn’t exactly their own army, as these men are deployed from Switzerland. This group is known as the Pontifical Swiss Guard, the oldest active military unit in the world.
Getting Tickets to the Meet the Pope Session
As you might imagine, the job of the Pontifical Swiss Guard is to ensure the safety of the pope. No mean feat as some of the popes tend to want to mix in with the crowd, causing a security nightmare. So far, I have only seen them guarding some entrances and they weren’t a lot like the modern security forces that we see, they still have swords! I saw some people talking to the Swiss Guard and walking off with something. It was a ticket, apparently they have tickets to the weekly meet the pope session at the Vatican. The next days is a Wednesday, and it was a meet the pope day, and he happens to be in town! My friend managed to get a ticket from the guard and she handed it to me. I told them I will be attending this event whether they join in or not. I don’t know why the Swiss Guards happened to be holding on to the tickets but I don’t care anymore.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/SaintPeter’sBasilica.kmz} zoom=19]