Switzerland is setting up its own embassy for the Vatican
GENEVA (AFP) – The Swiss government decided on Friday to create a separate embassy for the Vatican, for which the Swiss ambassador to Slovenia is currently responsible.
The incumbent Federal Council of Switzerland has decided that the regulation of all work in the diplomatic relations of Switzerland with the Holy See will be made possible, it said in a statement. He has noted a sharp increase in high-level visits in recent years.
Switzerland has been diplomatically represented in the Vatican since 1991, with diplomatic ambassadors based in Bern, Geneva and Prague and, since 2014, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The new embassy will also manage relations with Malta and San Marino.
Although Switzerland’s diplomatic presence has so far been limited, the country is regarded as the central institution of the Vatican – the Swiss Guard. Members of the world’s oldest standing army perform ceremonial guard duty during the papal mass, guard the gates of the Vatican and help protect Pope Francis.
The guards are all single Swiss under 30 and must be devout Catholics. They register for business trips for two years and live together in the Vatican.
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