The Swiss Papal Guard is forced to compete for recruits amid a general shortage of qualified personnel in Switzerland, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper reported.
The Papal Guard is “surrounded by a halo of legend“. Recruitment has long been easy, despite low salaries by Swiss standards of 1,800 euros before taxes. According to Captain Christian Kuehne, responsible for personnel and communications, as the number of guardsmen increased from 110 to 135 in 2018, the traditional method of recruiting personnel by word of mouth was no longer sufficient. Guard representatives now give lectures to members of the Swiss army and have their own booth at various job fairs in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.
Kuehne acknowledges that the Guard is forced to compete for its recruits amid a general shortage of qualified personnel in Switzerland. Members of Generation Z - young people aged 20-21 who have completed basic training in the Swiss army - are considered the best suited for the Guard. According to Kuhne, the Guard needs to recruit 30 to 35 Gen Z members with Swiss passports annually to make up for the monthly layoffs. He also noted that the Guard currently consists of 140 members, 14 of whom are in training, but that number is constantly changing.
The Swiss Guard is considered the oldest and smallest army in the world. It was created in 1506 by a decree of Pope Julius II (reigned 1503-1513). One of his successors to the papacy, Clement VII (reigned 1523-1534), owed his salvation to the Guard. Defending it, 147 guardsmen died on May 6, 1527, during the capture of Rome by the troops of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. In memory of this event, new recruits of the guard take the oath of allegiance on May 6, and the Swiss have earned the honor of serving as the personal guard of the popes. The guards perform several functions, including accompanying the pope everywhere, including on trips abroad.