"Your annual party, with the swearing in of the recruits, is a great occasion to meet and welcome the parents and family members who join you in these moments that are so significant."
Thus Pope Francis addressed the 36 new Swiss Guards who will take the oath this afternoon in the Vatican, received in audience in the Sala Clementina together with the families and the leaders of the Corps.
"Through the oath - he observed -, you will be introduced into the great family of the Swiss Guard. With this you are ready to dedicate a few years of your life to a fascinating and, at the same time, full of responsibility task in the heart of the universal Church".
According to the Pontiff, "the places where you will be called to carry out your service are full of a history marked by the heroic self-denial of so many servants of the Apostolic See, including not a few Swiss".
"Since the establishment of the Swiss Guard - he recalled -, many young people have fulfilled the unique function assigned to it, which continues today. Through a generous and faithful commitment, over the centuries some have not escaped the hardest trials, reaching to shed their blood to defend the Pope and to allow him to carry out his mission in full independence. With their supreme dedication they have fulfilled what is foreseen by the Regulations still in force: the safety of the person of the Pope and of his residence ".
"Dear recruits - continued Francis -, you have chosen to devote yourselves to an exquisitely ecclesial task; I urge you to live it as a Christian and community witness. Your activity, in fact, is not carried out individually, but as a community: it is not for nothing that you are called 'Corps' of the Swiss Guard ".
"May you realize this community dimension every day, both during the hours - not always easy - of service, and in the daily life of the barracks, which includes moments of leisure, conviviality, meeting and prayer", the Pope said, underlining that "the ideal of serving the Church, in the person of the Successor of Peter, represents a force that involves and helps to face the inevitable moments of difficulty".
Bergoglio then encouraged the Swiss Guards "to always give due importance to training", and to the fact that "staying in Rome should be valued in order to grow as Christians".
"I take this opportunity - he concluded - to thank the entire Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps for the timely and precious collaboration of every day, of which I am a direct witness. The Holy See is counting on you! The Vatican City is proud of your presence in its territory! ".