The Pope Gives a Chair to a Swiss Guard After a Night Shift

[Santi2]

Google translated from Italian text:

The amazing size of this new Pope Francesco (for now) is in the little things.

For example, to say “Brothers and sisters, good evening” instead of resorting to the millennia, the Scriptures and the universe to present to the world. Wear a cross of iron instead of gold. Wash the feet of a detainee. Or even take care of the Swiss Guard that oversees every night until dawn the door of his apartment in Casa Santa Marta.

A few mornings ago, out in the hallway, the Pope found himself at the door this guy standing with his halberd at attention.

He asked: “And what are you doing here? Were you up all night?”.

“Yes,” replied the guard with deference.

“On your feet?”.

“I took over from my colleague.”

“Are not you tired?”

“It 's my duty Holiness, for your own safety.”

Pope Francis looked at him with a certain sweetness. It (sic) *He went *'back into the house and came back out after a minute with a chair in hand: “At least sit down and rest.”

The guard crossed his eyes, “I’m sorry, but I can not! Regulation do not allow it.”

“The Rules?”.

“My captain, Holiness.”

“Oh, really? Well, I’m the Pope and ask you to sit down.”

So between the regulation and the Pope the Swiss Guard (with a halberd) chose the chair. And then to bite the sandwich with the jam that the Pope personally brought him, showing that smile of Argentina. Wishing you - without disturbing the millennia, the scriptures, the universe - “Enjoy brother.”

:angel1:

calciomercato.com/news/francesco-il-papa-tifoso-che-da-una-sedia-alla-guardia-svizzera–426594

 

[Santi2]

No one from the military in my family. Just priests and nuns who will do the same with the chaps at Horseguards and Buckingham.

 

[DexUK]

I love this story.

God bless the Pope!

 

[meltzerboy]

While Pope Francis is being very kind by offering a chair to the tired guard, this reminds me of a Seinfeld episode in which George offers the guard a chair, the guard falls asleep, and, as a result, the store is robbed. Sometimes even kindness, by the Pope no less, can have unforeseen negative consequences.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Great gesture, nevertheless the guard was conflicted. Best to leave the guards alone, no need for conflicted Swiss Guards.

 

[Ms_Manners]

I saw the article and thought of the same thing, just a matter of time before they start sleeping in that chair, despite the nice thought.
But the sandwich was sweet.

 

[colmywaykurtz]

I’d hate to be this soldier. He’s at the very center of what may shape up to be a lengthy controversy.

 

[JMJSHJ]

I think this story is hilarious and it gave me a laugh. However some here have said that it could undermine military efficiency. I just have a question to ask: Doesn’t the President of the USA have some authority with regard to how the Secret Service protects him?

 

[aemcpa]

The Pope is an absolute monarch within the Vatican walls; the Pontifical Swiss Guard serve at his pleasure. So if he says jump, the Guardsman should say how high.

 

[Robertanthony]

“You can never please everyone”, I think this story will stay with me as the perfect example.

 

[Havard]

While Pope Francis is being very kind by offering a chair to the tired guard, this reminds me of a Seinfeld episode in which George offers the guard a chair, the guard falls asleep, and, as a result, the store is robbed. Sometimes even kindness, by the Pope no less, can have unforeseen negative consequences.

Great minds think a like, that episode immediately popped into my head too.

 

[odile53]

Plenty of people work the night shift, frequently in sedentary positions, and don’t fall “asleep at the switch,” so to speak. Once people are used to working nights, they adjust their sleeping times to get adequate rest, and I’m sure that whoever does the duty roster for the Swiss Guard already takes into account those members who can easily adjust to being alert through the night.

If sitting in what sounds like a hard chair (something easily portable, that Pope Francis could have retrieved and carried out to the guardsman, it doesn’t sound like the septegenarian Pope shoved a Lazy Boy recliner out into the corridor,) is a real security concern, I’d be willing to bet that Pope Francis, with his very practical Jesuit spirituality, could easily decree that a thermos of coffee be available for the sentinel each night.

It seems the only deviation here is ceremonial, and I doubt that churchmen or tourists would be scandalized by it during sleeping hours, since nobody would be visiting during those times.

Recall the prayer, “Watch those who work and watch and weep this night…”

I don’t see any real problem here, and think that Pope Francis did exactly what Jesus would have done.

 

[YoungTradCath]

The Pope is an absolute monarch within the Vatican walls; the Pontifical Swiss Guard serve at his pleasure. So if he says jump, the Guardsman should say how high.

No one is saying anything otherwise. Some are just pointing out prudential consequences of various scenarios. I don’t think that’s bad.

 

[CatholicTrekkie]

I’ve heard it said on other places this story has been posted that the story is of dubious authenticity. For one, there seems to be too much detail in an exchange that supposedly occurred between two people. Why would the soldier want to out himself to his superiors in this manner for slacking off on the guard (as others have said) by recounting this story? The whole story has a air of one of those forwarded mass chain emails.

This is a beautiful story, but it’s pretty much that: a story. It doesn’t do anything to undermine or enhance His Holiness’ already apparent humility and charity.

 

[Cider]

I don’t get it. Why is it that normal acts of courtesy and kindness garner a news post. I’m sure no one here is surprised that the pope is kind to people. I see a lot of these posts regarding Pope Francis. Didn’t really see these types of posts when Benedict was pope, but I wasn’t Catholic when he was first elected so maybe I just missed it and it calmed down after awhile? It just seems like there are a lot of posts regarding Pope Francis that seem to glorify him for things that we would expect a pope ( even the average person) to be and do, like be considerate and kind.

Honestly this seems like a normal everyday conversation someone might have with any security guard.

 

[EmperorNapoleon]

Anyone who makes it to the apartment is unlikely to be stopped by a man wielding a medieval halberd. Let the man sit.

 

[Brendan]

I’ve heard it said on other places this story has been posted that the story is of dubious authenticity. For one, there seems to be too much detail in an exchange that supposedly occurred between two people. Why would the soldier want to out himself to his superiors in this manner for slacking off on the guard (as others have said) by recounting this story? .

The solider would not have been ‘outing’ himself if he reported to his Captain. In fact, he would be required to do so.

It does happen that a solider receives an order that contradicts an order received by a lower ranking officer. The solider would then be forced to obey the order received from the higher ranking officer. But the change would have to be reported to the officer that issued the original order at the earliest convenience.

The solider did nothing wrong in obeying the order of his commander in chief, and the Captian would not hold it against him

But I don’t think the Pope did want he seemed to have wanted to do. He certainly did not make the solider more comfortable, in fact his discomfort probably increased by an order of magnitude.

If that was the Pope’s intent, to make the solider uncomfortable, he succeeded in spades.

Having been there, done that, it was not a relief to the solider. His thoughts were not that he now got to rest and ‘take a load off’. It was that what he was doing now went against all his training, and it was not want he was ‘supposed’ to be doing, what he prepared himself to do. But he had to follow a valid order given by the highest ranking officer he reported to. So he had to obey it. But he was NOT more comfortable.

 

[Brendan]

Anyone who makes it to the apartment is unlikely to be stopped by a man wielding a medieval halberd. Let the man sit.

Even the ceremonial guards carry Sig Sauer pistols. And there are plenty of others that carry SG 552 assault rifles.

 

[DexUK]

To me the story tells of the fatherly love Pope Francis has for all those around him.

I doubt the chair will remain outside the Pope’s door unless he insists on new regulations, which I doubt he would. Instead this looks to me like he was making a connection with a man sworn to defend him with his life. Were I in the guardsman’s position, it would spur me on to even greater loyalty. Small acts of kindness such as these speak infinitely louder than any rulebook. (In particular, I like jam sandwiches - you’d win my heart every time with one of those!)

I’ve read elsewhere and observed for myself that our Holy Father teaches less with words and more with actions - he seems to have taken to heart that saying that is supposed to be attributed to St Francis: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words” (whether or not it actually was St Francis, the sentiment is exactly correct).

Everything I hear about what our Holy Father does makes me admire him more. He has that attractive ‘Christ-like’ quality that makes you want to be close to him. That is the mark of a truly spiritual man who really does understand what the term ‘active prayer’ really means.

 

[Elizium23]

Snopes.com is going to have to open up a whole new section if this trend of stupid urban legends about the Holy Father continues.