Abuja, Nigeria, May 7, 2007 / 09:43 am
On Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI praised the service to the Church paid by the 500 year-old Swiss Guard during the ceremony of reception of 38 new recruits who on Sunday took the oath "To the Holy Trinity" as members of the corps.
Speaking in German, French and Italian -the three official languages of Switzerland, where the guards are recruited- Benedict XVI pointed out how the Pontifical Swiss Guard has "a long history of loyalty and of generous and dedicated service, sometimes performed even unto the heroic sacrifice of life."