Surprising success of a documentary on the Swiss Guard

The book offers an intimate and revealing insight into the Pontifical Swiss Guard, the smallest military corps in the world, responsible for the security of the Pope for more than five centuries.

Picture of Javier García Herrería

April 29, 2025

< 1 min read
documentary swiss guard

CNS Photo -- Paul Haring

The documentary "The Pope's Mysterious Army", produced by DW Documental, has surpassed 3 million views in just 10 days since its publication on YouTube, evidencing the remarkable media interest in the Vatican at the moment, even for a secondary institution such as the Swiss Guard.

Through a close narrative, the documentary follows several young Swiss men in the process of becoming the Pope's guards: from their initial decision, motivated by faith and the desire to serve, to the solemn oath of fidelity that commits them to protect the Holy Father, even with their lives. The work shows the demanding physical training, the spiritual accompaniment and the values that shape this unique elite corps, composed only of Swiss citizens, practicing Catholics and with previous military training.

The camera also delves into the lesser-known aspects of the daily life of these soldiers inside the Vatican, revealing how personal devotion is integrated with rigorous military discipline. With direct testimonies, unpublished scenes and a human approach, the production provides insight into why this small army continues to captivate the world.

This content is loaded from YouTube. To view it, enable functional cookies.

Technical data of the documentary:

  • Spanish title: The Pope's mysterious army
  • Duration: 42 minutes
  • Production: DW Documentary
  • Country: Germany
  • Year of production: 2024
  • Available in: YouTube - DW Documentary

Did you like it? Share it

Pope's Travels

It's happening...

Holywins: una alternativa alegre y católica a Halloween

Omnes Editorial Staff

The miracle of snow

The "miracle of the snow" that Santa María la Mayor commemorates today

Teresa Aguado Peña

pensamiento político san agustín

¿Cuál es el pensamiento político de san Agustín?

Santiago Leyra Curiá

PopeAssumptionVirginCastelgandolfo

The Pope sings of love and the purity of the soul in the Assumption of Mary

Francisco Otamendi

Eclipse

Maria, the eclipse and the blindness of love

Antonio Moreno