Vatican City-It takes over an hour to don the colourful uniform of the pope’s Swiss Guards, and new recruits soon discover they cannot buckle up armour weighing 15 kilogrammes by themselves. Jeremy and Paul, whose surnames cannot be published for security reasons, will soon be sworn in as guards at the Vatican, joining an ancient, prestigious body responsible for protecting the pope. For the special occasion, 21-year-old Jeremy swaps his T-shirt and sneakers for highly polished metal garb selected from among the armour, muskets, swords and helmets in the barracks’ armoury. “There are two of us to put on the whole thing: the collar around the neck, the chest, the back, the epaulettes and the helmet. It takes about an hour and a half,” he told AFP. The Swiss Guards, the world’s oldest practising army, was founded by Pope Julius II in 1506 and is famous for its blue, yellow and red striped uniform. 

But three times a year -- Christmas, Easter and the swearing-in -- they adorn themselves with the shiny, heavy armour.  Carpenter Jeremy, who comes from a farming family near Fribourg in Switzerland, will take the oath on Saturday in the presence of his family and friends. Tall, blond and blue-eyed, Jeremy will be pledging along with 22 others to “sacrifice his life” for Pope Francis for at least 26 months. The new recruits will raise the number of currently serving Swiss Guards to 125. “It’s a curious world, the more you look into it, the more you want to join,” Jeremy said, adding that he felt “pride and emotion” when he put on the uniform for the first time.