The Swiss Guardsman collapsed suddenly, face down, making a great crash with his halberd and plumed helmet. He was immediately attended to by the people around him, who helped him up. The episode lasted only about twenty seconds.
Thanks to the footage of the incident, Pope Francis can be seen, sitting in a large armchair upholstered in white fabric, watching, with a concerned look, the young guard in his colorful official suit as he regains consciousness.
After about two minutes, the time it took for him to regain consciousness, the Swiss guard was escorted out of the room. Paul VI room.
Asked by AFP about the causes of the fainting and the state of health of the Swiss guard, the Vatican spokesman assured that “it was probably a pressure drop“He is fine now,” he added.
Uniform not according to the heat
For many observers, the famous Swiss Guard uniform with blue, yellow and red stripes, a pleated collar of bright white cloth and a light metal helmet with an ostrich feather may not be suitable for the heat of the northern summer, despite because the vast hall of the Vatican has air conditioning.
In addition to the helmet with red feathers, since in this case it was a halberdier, the gala uniform includes baggy pants and a jacket with the famous white collar.
According to the AFP photographer, Pope Francis approached the end of the audience to speak with a member of the Swiss Guard, which he does not usually do.
rigid rules
The Swiss Guard is one of those military bodies that, despite its peculiar appearance, take its mission very seriously, since it is dedicated exclusively to protecting the Pope. Is he smallest army in the world and also the oldest, it has more than 500 years of history.
It was created in 1506 by the Pope Julius II and throughout its history it has had its ups and downs and has been on the verge of dissolution on several occasions.
At the beginning of his pontificate, in 2013, Pope Francis praised “the professionalism” of the Vatican Swiss Guard and according to press rumors, the Argentine pope even offered a chair and something to eat to the Swiss guard in charge of his night protection against to his apartment in Santa Marta residence of the Vatican.
The rigid rules of that historic body surprised the Latin American pope, who invited the bewildered young captain to rest after discovering that he had spent the entire night on his feet.
As the guard refused, arguing that the rules prevented him, Francisco told him: “I am the Pope and I ask you to sit down”, and then offered him bread and ham.
Source: Ambito
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