In the Swiss Guards

David Geisser was a Swiss Guard protecting Pope Francis and the Apostolic Palace between 2013 and 2015. He was following the footsteps of his father who had been in the service a generation earlier under Pope John Paul II, including on the dark day (May 13, 1981) when a would-be assassin shot the Holy Father. I ask him about his experiences in one of the oldest (est. 1506) and smallest (135 men) military organizations in history.

• David Geisser’s YouTube channel, It’s Cooking Time
• National Geographic, “Inside the Vatican,” 2021: Episode 1 and Episode 2
• A Swiss public television documentary on the Swiss Guards (in German)