Pope Benedicts greets new Swiss Guards

The guards were sworn in Friday.
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI greeted 31 new members of the Swiss Guard before they were sworn in Friday, saying the centuries-old elite corps has allowed pontiffs to carry out their mission without security worries.
During the ceremony in the Vatican courtyard, the recruits raised three fingers and shouted their allegiance to the pontiff in German, French and Italian. The pope did not attend the ceremony, which lasted a little more than an hour.
"Since the early hours of my pontificate you, Swiss Guards, have stood close to me, and have been loyal and ready for service at every moment," Benedict said to the audience in the frescoed Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace.
"You accompany the successor of Peter step by step and guarantee his protection so that he can carry out his mission without worry for his own security. In serving the pope, you serve the whole church."
The pope described the Swiss Guard as a "small army with great ideals."
Benedict seemed at ease, tousling the hair of a couple of young children as he walked through the hall.
Tradition
The swearing-in ceremony is held May 6 each year -- the anniversary of the day in 1527 when 147 Swiss Guards died while protecting Pope Clement VII during the sacking of Rome.
The guards -- outfitted in their trademark halberds, crimson-plumed helmets and gold and blue uniforms -- provide ceremonial guard duty, assist at Vatican functions and help protect the pope. Some are armed with guns.
Pope Julius II founded the corps in 1506 because he was so impressed by the bravery of Swiss mercenaries.
Each recruit must have completed mandatory Swiss military service, be a Catholic between the ages of 19 and 30, have an impeccable reputation and agree to sign up for at least two years.
Recruitment has been a persistent problem in recent years. In order to marry, the guards must be at least 25, have served for at least three years and commit themselves to another three years of service. They also must have the rank of at least corporal.
Currently there are 110 guards, including those sworn in Friday.
The Swiss Guards were involved in one of the Vatican's greatest scandals in recent years. In 1998, a 23-year-old guard allegedly killed a commander, the commander's wife and then himself in a fit of madness over being denied a medal.
The guard's mother has denied the Vatican's version of events, saying her son was wrongly accused and was the victim of a plot. She has recently sought to have the case reopened.