The Vatican's Swiss Guards swore in 23 new recruits on May 6, 2016 at the Vatican. The new recruits joined their ranks in an elaborate swearing-in ceremony . The ceremony is held each May 6 to commemorate the 147 Swiss Guards who died protecting Pope Clement VII during the 1527 Sack of Rome. Then each new recruit grasped the corps' flag and, raising three fingers in a symbol of the Holy Trinity, swore to uphold the Swiss Guard oath to protect pope Francis and his successors. The Swiss Guard, founded in 1506, consists of 100 volunteers who must be Swiss nationals, Catholic, single, at least 174 cm (5 feet 8 inches) tall and beardless. Photo by Eric Vandeville/ABACAPRESS.COM