Blessed John Paul II: A Replica Flag & A You-tube Tour of the Swiss Guard Armory with Major Peter Hassler and Father Richard Kunst

Popes/Saints/Individuals: Blessed John Paul II

Categories: Miscellaneous | Swiss Guard

Era: 1978-2005

This replica flag was a gift from the Swiss Guard to Father Kunst in honor of The Vatican Comes to Duluth in 2004.
Initially Father Kunst asked them if they could produce a flag for this event and they responded by producing a replica of John Paul II’s flag.

Each flag has, in the upper hoist on the left-hand side, the coat of arms of the present pope. In the lower hoist on the bottom right-hand side, is the coat of arms of Julius II, known as the Warrior Pope. He started the Swiss Guard in the 16th century. In the center is the coat of arms of the Guard Commandant, Colonel Elmar Theodor Madar.

There are two images on each flag containing the colors of the Guard as well. They are always blue, yellow and red. These are the colors of the Medici Pope, Clement VII, for whom many Swiss Guards gave their lives in 1527.


A Tour of the Swiss Guard Armory with Major Peter Hassler and Father Richard Kunst

In early January of this year, 2013, Papal Artifacts' Expert, Father Richard Kunst, was hosting a tour of Rome for a small group of people and was able to arrange a tour of the Swiss Guard facility in the Vatican. Retired Major Peter Hasler, a friend of Father Kunst's, graciously offered to conduct the tour, which would never occur in most tours of Vatican City.

The you-tube presented here was given to Papal Artifacts by two members of the tour, Richard and Susan Raposa. We are grateful to them for making it available to Papal Artifacts for you to see.

Major Hassler's speech is not always as clear as we would hope, but the life of the Swiss Guard is apparent in much of his conversation and in the artifacts he so hospitably shared with all of us.

Major Hassler traveled extensively with Blesed John Paul II and was actually with the Pope when he was shot on May 13th, 1981. His career with the Swiss Guard spanned a period of over thirty years.

We are grateful to Major Hassler for his hospitality to us.