Vatican's Swiss Guard debuts new uniform
The world's smallest army, charged with guarding the pope and the Vatican, has a new look.
The Swiss Guard on Thursday unveiled a new non-ceremonial, formal uniform worn at events outside the Vatican, including embassy parties or official dinners.
The uniform, featuring a yellow and white striped belt and gold buttons, is a refashioned uniform the Swiss Guard wore up until the 1970s, when members began to wear non-uniform suits to formal events outside the Vatican.
The return to the non-ceremonial uniform is seen by Swiss Guard officials as a way to distinguish themselves as a military corp.
Visitors to the Vatican will still get to see Swiss Guard members in their ceremonial red, yellow, and blue Renaissance-style uniforms, which they will continue to wear when guarding the home of the Roman Catholic Church.
Established in 1506, the Swiss Guard's mission is to always guard and protect the pope and his official residence, the Apostolic Palace, as well as cardinals who gather during the papal conclave.
More than two dozen new recruits, who all come from a group of Swiss towns and villages, will join the Swiss Guard on Saturday when they are sworn in during a ceremony at the Vatican.
The swearing-in ceremony, which typically takes place each May, was postponed this year due to the election on May 8 of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th pontiff.
ABC News' Phoebe Natanson contributed to this report.
