‘LUMEN FIDEI,’ POPE FRANCIS’ FIRST ENCYCLICAL IS RELEASED

“This is how the Church’s tradition speaks of the great gift brought by Jesus… Those who believe, see; they see with a light that illumines their entire journey, for it comes from the risen Christ, the morning star which never sets.” - LUMEN FIDEI, n. 1.

LUMEN FIDEI, or the 'Light of Faith' is the tittle of Pope Francis' first encyclical. The document, which reflects on the 'Year of Faith' was started by Benedict XVI when he was still Pope. After his resignation, the document was passed on to Pope Francis. The Latin American Pope added some content to the text, and signed it on June 29th. 

The encyclical, which is divided into 60 points, has an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion. Encyclicals are open, Papal letters, addressed to the world. John Paul II published 14. Benedict XVI published 3. 

(Romereports.com July 05, 2013) 

The opening page of the Encyclical reads:

1.  The light of Faith: this is how the Church’s tradition speaks of the great gift brought by Jesus. In John’s Gospel, Christ says of himself: “I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (Jn 12:46). Saint Paul uses the same image: “God who said ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts” (2 Cor 4:6). The pagan world, which hungered for light, had seen the growth of the cult of the sun god, Sol Invictus, invoked each day at sunrise. Yet though the sun was born anew each morning, it was clearly incapable of casting its light on all of human existence. The sun does not illumine all reality; its rays cannot penetrate to the shadow of death, the place where men’s eyes are closed to its light. “No one — Saint Justin Martyr writes — has ever been ready to die for his faith in the sun”.[1] Conscious of the immense horizon which their faith opened before them, Christians invoked Jesus as the true sun “whose rays bestow life”.[2] To Martha, weeping for the death of her brother Lazarus, Jesus said: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (Jn 11:40). Those who believe, see; they see with a light that illumines their entire journey, for it comes from the risen Christ, the morning star which never sets.

http://www.romereports.com/pdf/inglese.pdf

[1] Dialogus cum Tryphone Iudaeo, 121, 2: PG 6, 758.

[2] Clementof Alexandria, Protrepticus, IX: PG 8, 195.

NATURAL REMEDIES TO MENSTRUAL CRAMPS

Regular Exercise during Menstruation, Hot Water Therapy, Herbal Remedies, Vitamins and Minerals Supplement, Acupressure and Yoga.

Menstrual cramps are something that almost every woman has experienced. While some may only experience them in the form of mild discomfort, others may experience severe and often debilitating pain during their menstrual cycle. The good news is that there are several natural remedies which can be used to help relieve the pain and discomfort that is often associated with menstruation.

Regular Exercise during Menstruation: Maintaining regular exercise during menstruation has been shown to assist with easing cramps, reducing muscle tension and elevating one's mood. As little as 20 minutes of walking each day can help to lessen the severity of cramps and of other pain associated with menstruation.

Hot Water Therapy: A hot water bottle that is wrapped in a towel or cloth and placed on the abdomen can help to relieve abdominal cramps. One can soak in a hot bath that has a cup of sea salt and a cup of baking soda added to it. This remedy helps to relax the muscles, thereby easing the pain.

Vitamins and Minerals Supplement: Supplementation with vitamins and minerals is also beneficial during menstruation, as it will help to replenish nutrients and minerals which the body has lost. Magnesium, zinc, calcium, Vitamin B-complex and Vitamin E are all important vitamins and minerals which should be replenished during this time.

Herbal Remedies: Herbal remedies such as chamomile, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, basil, parsley and mint are used in different forms to ease cramps and other symptoms associated with menstruation. Mint, ginger and chamomile can be used to make soothing teas which can be taken a few times a day. 75ml of parsley can be blended with cucumber, beet and carrot juices. Not only will this help with pain relief, but it is also said to help regulate the menstrual cycle.

A piece of ginger can be crushed into a cup of boiling water and sweetened with a little honey. This can be taken three times a day after meals. Two tablespoons of basil leaves can be added to one pint of boiling water. Keep the infusion covered tightly and allow it to cool to room temperature. A half to one cup can be taken each hour to help ease cramps. Cinnamon can simply be sprinkled over any food or added to tea as desired.

Acupressure: Acupressure is also said to be a wonderful way to relieve menstrual cramps. An acupressure point referred to as Spleen 6 is often recommended by acupuncturists as a way to help relieve the pain as well. To locate this point, first place your fingers on the bony inner point of the ankle. From there, draw an imaginary line up the lower calf. You will find the point approximately four finger widths from the inner ankle bone. It is not located exactly on the shin bone, but next to it towards the back part of the calf muscle. Apply gradually increasing pressure to this point with your thumb or middle finger at a 90 degree angle to the skin. Keep applying the pressure for approximately three minutes. The pressure exerted on this point should in no way be painful or uncomfortable. Pregnant women should not apply any pressure to this point at any time.

Yoga: Yoga is also an excellent form of exercise during the menstrual cycle, as it helps to relieve the pain by helping the body to relax. This will help many of the other symptoms associated with menstruation as well.

< http://medxforum.com/

NIGERIANS TO PAY £3,000 CASH BOND HENCEFORTH TO ENTER THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Visitors from Nigeria and other “high risk” countries in Asia and Africa will be forced to pay a £3,000 cash bond before they can enter United Kingdom.

From November, a pilot scheme will target visitors India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Ghana who will have to pay the UK government a form of cash guarantee or deposit to deter immigration abuse. They will forfeit the £3,000 if they overstay in Britain and fail to return to their home countries by the time their visa has expired.

The controversial move by the UK home secretary, Theresa May, to introduce the Australian-style system reflects her determination to show that the Conservatives are serious about cutting immigration in the UK.

Ms May said: “This is the next step in making sure our immigration system is more selective, bringing down net migration from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands, while still welcoming the brightest and the best to Britain.”

She added: “In the long run we’re interested in a system of bonds that deters overstaying and recovers costs if a foreign national has used our public services.”

The Home Office is targeting countries which have high volumes of visitor visa applications and what it deems to be relatively high levels of fraud and abuse.

http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/06/23/

POPE FRANCIS' FIRST 100 DAYS IN OFFICE

Usually, when someone begins a new job, the first 100 days in office are a time of transition. A time to define one's personality and work style. In the case of Pope Francis, the world didn't have to wait too long to get to know his style.  In just a few months, his open attitude has revitalized the Church. Here are a few key parts that so far, have defined his style. Here are a few key points that so far, have defined his first days in office.

CLOSENESS
A professor asked me, 'Why don't you go and live in the Apostolic Palace?' I replied: Because I have a psychiatric condition'! That's just my personality.

Pope Francis tries to be close to all the pilgrims who flock to Rome. During Mass and audiences, he spends a great deal of time with them, greeting them and blessing them. He says he doesn't want to live in the Papal apartments, so he can live among the people, with the Curia. Without a doubt his public audiences in St. Peter's Square are always packed.

FREEDOM
When I Confess someone... Well, right now I can't do that, because I can't go out to administer Confession...You can't really go out.  This is another problem.

The Pope loves to improvise. He loves to joke around and greet those who comes his way. Staying at Santa Marta allows him to schedule informal visits. He even jokes about sneaking out of the Vatican to administer Confession. 

CHURCH

And when we find apostles who want to build a rich Church and a Church without the gratuitousness of praise, the Church becomes old, the Church becomes an NGO, the Church becomes lifeless.

One of the new customs introduced by Pope Francis is his Mass at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta. Every morning, the Pope gives a brief homily. He explains the day's Gospel and his catechesis sends a clear message about how the Pope thinks the Church should act and how Christians should behave. 

CONTINUITY
Thank you for the humbleness you've shown during your Pontificate. You are a  great example of kindness.

The Pope's speeches have been described as very powerful. The words he uses and his message are very direct. Despite his unique style, his Magisterium follows that of his predecessors. He often cites Benedict XVI, John Paul II and Paul VI. 

OUTSKIRTS

This can be dangerous. We close ourselves inside our parishes, with our friends, our associations, with the ones who share our own ideas... but you know what happens? When the Church is closed it weakens, it weakens. 

One of the most striking aspects Pope Francis showed during the start of his pontificate is his inclination for those in need. He shows a deep interest for the sick, the poor, children and the disadvantaged. He asks all Christians to actively engage in helping all those who live at the 'outskirts of society.'

REFORMS
I would love to have a poor Church. A Church for the poor! 

Before his election, cardinal Bergoglio often underlined the need for a more simplified Curia, that could assist dioceses around the world. It's an issue that was discussed among Cardinals before the Conclave. As Pope, he decided to appoint a commission of eight cardinals to reform the Curia and the way it governs the Church.  The commission will have its first official meeting in October. It will advise the Pope about how reforms can be put into practice, precisely to put in effect a new more effective model.  

The first 100 days of his pontificate have been intense. They have been a reflection of the impulse and strength he wants to govern the Church with. 

http://www.romereports.com 

ST. JOSEPH’S NAME ENTERS THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYERS, COURTESY OF POPE FRANCIS

In the first decree of a liturgical nature of this pontificate, Pope Francis has decided that name of St. Joseph should be added to the Eucharistic Prayers II, II and IV, as they appear in the third typical edition of the Roman Missal, after the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Below please find the text of the decree issued Wednesday by the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments: 

DECREE
Exercising his paternal care over Jesus, Saint Joseph of Nazareth, set over the Lord’s family, marvelously fulfilled the office he received by grace. Adhering firmly to the mystery of God’s design of salvation in its very beginnings, he stands as an exemplary model of the kindness and humility that the Christian faith raises to a great destiny, and demonstrates the ordinary and simple virtues necessary for men to be good and genuine followers of Christ. Through these virtues, this Just man, caring most lovingly for the Mother of God and happily dedicating himself to the upbringing of Jesus Christ, was placed as guardian over God the Father’s most precious treasures. Therefore he has been the subject of assiduous devotion on the part of the People of God throughout the centuries, as the support of that mystical body, which is the Church.

The faithful in the Catholic Church have shown continuous devotion to Saint Joseph and have solemnly and constantly honored his memory as the most chaste spouse of the Mother of God and as the heavenly Patron of the universal Church. For this reason Blessed Pope John XXIII, in the days of the Most Holy Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, decreed that Saint Joseph’s name be added to the ancient Roman Canon. In response to petitions received from places throughout the world, the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI deemed them worthy of implementation and graciously approved them. The Supreme Pontiff Francis likewise has recently confirmed them. In this the Pontiffs had before their eyes the full communion of the Saints who, once pilgrims in this world, now lead us to Christ and unite us with him.

Accordingly, mature consideration having been given to all the matters mentioned here above, this Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, by virtue of the faculties granted by the Supreme Pontiff Francis, is pleased to decree that the name of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary is henceforth to be added to Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV, as they appear in the third typical edition of the Roman Missal, after the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as follows: in Eucharistic Prayer II:

“ut cum beáta Dei Genetríce Vírgine María, beáto Ioseph, eius Sponso, beátis Apóstolis”; in Eucharistic Prayer III: “cum beatíssima Vírgine, Dei Genetríce, María, cum beáto Ioseph, eius Sponso, cum beátis Apóstolis”; and in Eucharistic Prayer IV: “cum beáta Vírgine, Dei Genetríce, María, cum beáto Ioseph, eius Sponso, cum Apóstolis ”.

As regards the Latin text, these formulas are hereby declared typical. The Congregation itself will soon provide vernacular translations in the more widespread western languages; as for other languages, translations are to be prepared by the Bishops’ Conferences, according to the norm of law, to be confirmed by the Holy See through this Dicastery.

All things to the contrary notwithstanding.

From the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 1 May 2013, on the Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker.

(Antonio Card. Cañizares Llovera)
Prefect
( X Arthur Roche )
Archbishop Secretary

The Congregation has provided English language translations for the additions to the Mass prayers. 

IN EUCHARISTIC PRAYER II: 
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with blessed Joseph, her Spouse,
with the blessed Apostles

IN EUCHARISTIC PRAYER III:

with the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with blessed Joseph, her Spouse,
with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs

IN EUCHARISTIC PRAYER IV:

with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with blessed Joseph, her Spouse,
and with your Apostles

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/06/19/ 

TEENS, PEER PRESSURE AND SEX

One minute you’re playing kiss-chase in the playground and sex doesn't come into it. The next minute your friends are obsessed about when everyone will lose their virginity. You might be thinking about sex, but the reality of it can be confusing. It takes time to understand what sex is all about, and just because you want to know more doesn't mean that you have to rush into anything.

If you’re feeling pressured into having sex, you’re not alone. You might feel like the only virgin, but the average age that teenagers start having sex in the UK is 16. This is true for boys and girls so not everyone who says they've had sex is telling the truth. Good relationships start with friendship, and trust builds from there.

WHAT IS PEER PRESSURE?

Peer pressure is the pressure that your friends and the people you know, put on you to do something you don’t want to do (or don’t feel ready to do), such as have sex. There are different types of peer pressure:

• obvious peer pressure, such as: “Everyone’s doing it, so should you”
• underhand peer pressure, such as: “You’re a virgin, you wouldn't understand”
• controlling peer pressure, such as: “You would do it if you loved me”

GOOD REASONS TO WAIT UNTIL YOU’RE READY

The pressure that your friends put on you is worse than the pressure you put on yourself. Most of us have to deal with it at some point, but it’s difficult when friends brag about having sex and criticize you for being a virgin.

Not everything you hear is true. They could be exaggerating to make themselves look more experienced than you. Rushing into sex just to impress your friends or partner could leave you feeling like a fool because you didn't make your own decision.

It might help you to remember that:

• being in love or fancying someone doesn't mean that you have to have sex
• not having sex is not a sign that you’re immature
• saying no to sex is not bad for anyone’s health

It’s fine to say no or to say that you want to wait a while, even if you've had sex before.

MAKING YOUR OWN DECISION

Don’t do something you’re not ready to do just to please other people. You’re more likely to regret your first time if you do it under pressure. You’re also more likely to forget about contraception and condoms, which help to prevent pregnancy and protect you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia. [You should not see them as a safety measures to justify pre-marital sex any way].

Having sex won’t make your boyfriend or girlfriend like you more or stay with you. Your first time is important, so think carefully about it and take it slowly. Everyone (girls, boys) deserves to make their own decision in their own time. Sex can be great when both people like each other and feel ready. [The appropriate time is when you are married]. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

HOW TO STAND UP TO THE PRESSURE

Standing up to peer pressure means deciding whether to go along with everyone else or make your own decisions. Your friends might say things that put you under pressure. Here are some things you can say back to them to keep them quiet:

They say: “You haven’t had sex because no one fancies you.”
You say: “I haven’t had sex because I’m not afraid of saying no” or “I’m waiting for the right person”.

They say: “You’ll get dumped if you don’t do it soon.”
You say: “We like each other for more than just sex.”

They say: “ We've all done it loads of times.”
You say: “And Santa really climbs down the chimney every year.”

They say: “You must be gay.”
You say: “As if waiting for the right person means anything about my sexuality. Anybody can wait for the right person” or “So what if I am?”

They say: “You’ll get a reputation for being frigid.”
You say: “Waiting for the right person makes me smart, not frigid.”

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Sexandyoungpeople/Pages/Peerpressure.aspx

FAREWELL PARTY IN HONOUR OF PROF. G. I. ONAH BY THE PHILOSOPHY FACULTY, P.U.U., ROME.

ROME, MAY 28, 2013 in the Philosophy Department of Pontifical Urban University Rome, Prof. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah and a group of African students in the Licentiate class bid one another farewell as they rounded up his course “FL1041: Kwasi Wiredu, Cultural Universals and Particulars (a Seminar in English Language on African Philosophy). Prof. Onah introduced the course this academic year (the only course taught in English language in the faculty). It was a project aimed at teaching African Philosophy, alternating between English and French languages every academic year. But like he said in a lighter mood in one of his classes, the appointment has terminated a dream when it just started getting sweeter. However, he told his students that as a servant, one needs always to be ready and docile to respond to duty calls.

Speaking to his students, Prof. Onah admitted that he habitually handles his students, lay and clergy, as adults and fellow priests respectively, and not just as mere students. He believes that every priest and lay student in the university is an adult, and should be treated as such. He also expressed his age-long disapproval for the title “My Lord” being used for Bishops. According to him, he prefers the title ‘Father Bishop’ (‘Nna-anyi Bishop’) to ‘My Lord Bishop’ (‘Onyenwe m/Dinwenu m Bishop’), and expressed his intention to prudently continue to insist on the former as much as he would be able to. 

Responding to a question from one of his students on whether homosexuality has a moral or social consequence, he reasoned that it is a problem of human nature. As such, that it is an anthropological issue with moral, social, economic and political consequences. Nature he said, made no mistakes in fashioning beings as male and female. That someone enjoys or prefers eating through the nose and not the mouth, or walking on the hands and not the legs does not remove the fact that what is abnormal is abnormal. The same people who are propagating artificial birth control are the same people championing homosexuality. And their major aim, he suspects, is to reduce nature’s control over the issue of procreation and limit it within the confines of science, so that it would be monopolized by scientists, and made affordable to those who can afford it, when and how it would be affordable, he argued. And he expressed fear that his suspicion is gradually becoming a reality.

Prof Onah called on his students to dismiss their fears about Nigeria which is based on the media reports about Boko Haram and the ugly pictures painted by the movies about Nigeria. Now that they have a friend like him in Nigeria, he expressed the hope to see each and every one of them in Nsukka at one time or the other in the future. In a vote of thanks, the class representative for the course, Rev. Fr. Hyuwa Y. Everest from Nigeria, thanked him on behalf of the class for his fatherly and selfless efforts towards the academic growth of his students, and for his contributions towards the growth of the mother Church in general. Prof Onah and his students wished one another the best in their future endeavors.

The following day, May 29, the entire Philosophy Faculty gathered in his honour to bid him farewell in gratitude for his immense contributions to the faculty, and wish him well in his new assignment. Present at the occasion were Rev. Fr. Prof. G. Mazzotta (Dean of the Faculty), Prof. (Mrs.) L. Congiunti (successor to Prof. Onah as Vice Rector), Rev. Fr. Prof. L. Sileo (director of Licentiate Program in Philosophy), Prof. P. Miccoli (one-time lecturer to Prof. Onah), Prof. L. Tuninetti, and many other lecturers. In a brief remark, Prof Onah thanked his fellow professors, some of whom were his own teachers in the past, and at least one of them who was his own student. He also thanked the entire students for the fraternity he enjoyed in the faculty. He recalled that he has spent about twenty five years learning to be a professor. And now that he should start rendering account of what he has learnt, he has been called for another responsibility which he has not learnt about. Finally, he expressed his wish to host anyone who would be able to make it to Nsukka any day.

It would be recalled that Msgr. G. I. Onah was appointed the bishop-elect of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka –Nigeria on April 13, 2013, by His Holiness Pope Francis to succeed Bishop Francis E. O. Okobo, who is due for retirement. Until his appointment Msgr. Onah was holding the chair of Philosophical Anthropology, and at the same time serving his second tenure as the first African Vice Rector of his alma mater, the Pontifical Urban University Rome, Italy. He was also a consultor of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. His episcopal ordination comes up in Nsukka on July 4, 2013.

Deede Uche’s World wishes Msgr. Onah all the best in his future endeavors, both in the priestly ministry and in his personal life. May God who has begun this good work in him bring it to fulfillment, Amen.

JOHN PAUL II TO ENTER GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS

He's a man who has every right to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. During his pontificate,  John Paul II, quickly broke all the records set by his predecessors. In fact, just a few months after being elected Pope, he was nicknamed Hurricane Wojtyla. 

He visited 129 countries. He made 104 trips abroad and another 146 within Italy.  He traveled over 1,200,000 kilometers, which is more than three times the distance from Earth to the Moon or the equivalent of going around the world 30 times. 

Card. Angelo Amato Prefect, Congregation for the Causes of Saints [says:] “He launched himself  with fervor and courage to all parts of the world. He visited hundreds of countries, not for pleasure or curiosity, but to preach the gospel of peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 He celebrated the biggest Mass in history. It was in the Philippines during World Youth Day in Manila back in 1995, where more than 4 million people attended. 

Card. Gaudencio Rosales Archbishop of Manila (Philippines) [says:] “I remember the Pope's spokesman said that the crowd prevented the passage of the so called “popemobile. " We had to walk two miles to reach the stage. It was supposed to begin at 9, but we started at around 11. The spokesman described the WYD in Manila as an excess of success." 

These are all records that show the personal power of the Pope and his tireless dedication to the Church. A reign full of achievements that will mark forever the history of Catholicism and Christianity of the third millennium. 

 But the Pope also  celebrated smaller masses, like the one held before 200 people during a 1989 visit to the Nordic countries. He also held a mass in  Azerbaijan in May 2002. He became the first pope to visit those places. 

Joaquin Navarro Valls Former Pope's spokesman 
"The Pope could no longer walk. It was a tremendous sacrifice for him to speak at that point. But, he decided to go to Azerbaijan, where the total number of Catholics was less than 200.” The Pope wanted to go because he valued how that small group, the handful of Catholics who were in that country, had the right to celebrate Mass. They had the right to be with the Pope as if it were a country in which there were 200 million Catholics." 

The figures of his reign are impressive. It was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first Slavic pope in history. His pontificate lasted 26 years and 5 months, the third longest after Pius IX and St. Peter. 

As a bishop of Rome, he  made 301 visits to parishes within that city. 

He held 1,160 general audiences attended by more than 17 million people. He also named 231 cardinals from all continents.   

He met with nearly 1,600 heads of State and Government. No one else has ever led so many people in such a diverse cultural context. 

He held many catechisms for children, whom he called "the little friends of Jesus." John Paul II was also the first pope to write a papal document for children, in this case it was a pastoral letter.

He was also a  great writer. He signed more than 100 solemn documents,  including 14 encyclicals, 45 apostolic letters and 14 apostolic exhortations. Throughout the years, his speeches added to more than 100,000 pages. 

He declared more saints and blessed than his predecessors all together. He canonized 482 people and beatified another 1,338.
Arch. Piero Marini Master of Ceremonies John Paul II 
"John Paul II proclaimed more saints than all other popes together since Urban VIII to Paul VI." 

His vision of dialogue with people of all religions  was innovative. He was the first modern Pope to visit a synagogue, the first to enter a Protestant church and a mosque. He promoted dialogue with Jews and with representatives of other religions while calling for prayer and peace, especially in Assisi in October 1986.
These are all records that show the personal power of the Pope and his tireless dedication to the Church. A reign full of achievements that will mark forever the history of Catholicism and Christianity of the third millennium. 

< April, 27, 2011. Romereports.com

POPE FRANCIS MEETS WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE PONTIFICAL SWISS GUARD

 Pope Francis met on Sunday May 5, 2013 with the members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard. In his address to the Guards, the Holy Father reminded them “The Faith that God gave you on the day of Baptism is the most precious treasure you have! And your mission in the service of the Pope and of the Church finds in the Faith its source . . . Dear Swiss Guards, do not forget, the Lord walks with you.” 

Each year on May 6th , the Swiss Guard commemorates the sacrifice of 147 soldiers who died defending Pope Clement VII during the “Sack of Rome,” in 1527. To commemorate the heroic death of the soldiers, the anniversary is also the occasion of the solemn oath of 35 new recruits, which took place this afternoon in the courtyard of San Damaso in the Apostolic Palace.

Dr Donald Prudlo, associate professor of medieval history at Jacksonville State University in Alabama (USA) told us more about the Swiss Guard.

“For hundreds of years Swiss guards formed part of the bodyguards of the monarchs of Europe. This began in the late middle ages, when Swiss mercenary companies were highly sought after. Kings and princes soon discovered that their Swiss troops were loyal and far less open to corruption than other military forces. Their history is full of heroic stories about their protection of various sovereigns, not the least of which was their defence of King Louis XVI in 1792, when hundreds of them lost their lives defending the Tuileries Palace from revolutionaries.

“Like other monarchs, the popes too appreciated this kind of dedication and incorporated Swiss volunteers into the forces of the papal states in the late 1400s. In 1503 Pope Julius II, an exceptionally able pontiff, foresaw the establishment of a permanent corps of 200 Swiss for the papacy. In 1506 the corps was formally founded, and they have defended the popes from that day to this, having just recently celebrated their 500^th anniversary in 2006. 

“Their most famous moment in papal service came in 1527, when Protestant troops, having mutinied from the armies of Charles V, sacked Rome. 147 Swiss guardsmen laid down their lives in defending Clement VII. As a result of their sacrifice the Pope was given enough time to flee down the famous Passetto di Borgo from the Vatican to the safety of the fortress of Castel Sant’ Angelo. The guard has had other tense moments in its history as well, such as in 1848, when they only barely held the Roman revolutionaries back from doing violence to Bl. Pius IX at the Quirinal palace.

“Though there were other papal military units in existence, such as the Palatine guard, since 1970 the Swiss guards have assumed all the ceremonial roles for papal events and liturgies and can always be seen, in their colorful ceremonial costume with halberd, flanking the supreme pontiff.
“Yet their duties are not all ceremonial, they are a real military force with excellent training and modern weaponry. One can see them, in their daily attire, as they guard the working entrance to Vatican City State, the Porta Santa Anna. They are an army, bodyguard, and border protection all rolled into one.

“In terms of the place of the Swiss Guards in the Catholic Church, they are far from being an outdated ceremonial body. Pope Francis put it best a few days ago. He offered the soldiers a greeting of affection and gratitude. ‘The Church,’ he said, ‘loves you so much . . . and so do I’.”

< http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-to-swiss-guard-the-lord-walks-with-yo