The Swiss Guard is the oldest army in the world. Steeped in tradition, bearing the weight of history, the Pontifical Swiss Guard—like the whole of the Catholic Church—is in a constant balancing act between safeguarding heritage and responding to modern-day needs.

In this deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” the team reports from the Swiss Guard’s barracks on how the historic corps is navigating the tension between past, present and future.

Interviews include:

  • David Alvarez, military historian and author of The Pope’s Soldiers: A Military History of the Modern Vatican
  • Corporal Nicola Crivelli, vice-instructor of the Swiss Guard
  • Corporal Eliah Cinotti, spokesman of the Swiss Guard
  • Halbardier Sven Rechsteiner, a new guard
  • Rev. Kolumban Reichlin, O.S.B., chaplain of the Swiss Guard

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Credits

Producers: Maggi Van Dorn, Ricardo da Silva, S.J., and Colleen Dulle
Executive producer: Sebastian Gomes
Audio engineer: Frank Tuson

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Corporal Nicola Crivelli’s name.

Each week, Colleen Dulle goes behind the headlines of the biggest Vatican news stories with America’s Rome correspondent Gerard O’Connell. They'll break down complicated news stories that have a whole lot of history behind them in an understandable, engaging way. Colleen and Gerard will give you the inside scoop on what people inside the Vatican are thinking, saying—and planning.

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