New Swiss Guards commander ready to defend pope against Islamic State
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Vatican City (dpa) - Security staff around Pope Francis is ready to defend the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics against Islamic State fundamentalists, the new head of the Swiss Guards said in an interview Wednesday.
"What happened in Paris with Charlie Hebdo can also happen here in the Vatican, and we are ready to intervene to defend Francis, at any moment," Lieutenant Colonel Christoph Graf told Il Giornale, an Italian newspaper.
It was the first interview given by the 54-year-old commander since being appointed to the post on February 7.
Graf replaced Colonel Daniel Rudolf Anrig, who was dismissed amid reports that his harsh leadership and lavish lifestyle had raised eyebrows at the Vatican.
"I think the pope is not afraid of anything: you can see by the way he moves around, he likes being close to people. Something may happen, but you can see that he is not scared. We have the difficult task of guaranteeing his safety," Graf said.
The commander confirmed that his guards have been on higher alert in recent weeks.
The 110-strong Swiss Guard, known for their Renaissance-style uniforms in blue, red and yellow, said to have been inspired by Raphael's frescoes, have protected Catholic Church leaders since 1506. They are required to be single, Catholic, aged 19-30, morally irreproachable, and at least 1.74-metres tall.
