Vatican Swiss Guard Barracks Renovation: Anticipate Female Guards, Private Room With Bathroom

JAKARTA - The Vatican is considering joining women in the Swiss Guard, if Pope Francis or his successors allow women to serve in the elite pope, while renovating the army barracks with the colorful uniforms.

Officials from the Swiss foundation, which raised about 45 million Swiss francs, or about $46 million, to replace the current 150-year-old barracks, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vatican's Secretary of State on Wednesday.

"The project includes a single room with a private bathroom," Riccardo Boscardin, a foundation executive, said in the barracks courtyard after the signing.

"There are two reasons. First, because COVID hit when the project started and secondly it was possible to integrate women into the care," said Boscardin.

"However, this decision does not belong to us, but exclusively from the Vatican and the Pope," he said.

The army, whose main mission is to protect the Pope, has been exclusively male since its founding in 1506. All of the men were Swiss nationals.

It is known, Pope Francis (85), has appointed women to a number of senior positions and management positions in the administration of the Vatican. In March, he introduced an important new constitution that would allow any baptized Catholic, including women, to head most Vatican departments.

The Pontifical Swiss Guard Foundation, which supports the guards financially, has raised about 37 million francs and needs to raise about 7.5 million more, Boscardin told Reuters.

He said work would start in January 2026 so the guards would not be moved during Holy Year 2025, when millions of pilgrims are expected to visit the Vatican.

Due to building restrictions involving historic buildings, the side of the barracks overlooking Rome, which surrounds the sovereign Vatican city-state, will be preserved or rebuilt exactly as it is today.

Building a completely new, eco-friendly and energy-efficient building, even if it resembles an old building externally, will cost much less than renovating an existing building, Boscardin stressed.