Three Vatican Swiss Guards resign after COVID-19 vaccination request - report

FILE PHOTO: New recruits of the Vatican's elite Swiss Guard march in front of the tower of the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) during the swearing-in ceremony at the Vatican May 6, 2014. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

ZURICH (Reuters) - Three members of the Vatican Swiss Guards, the elite colourfully dressed corps that protects the pope, have decided to resign rather than be vaccinated against COVID-19, Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneva reported.

Following the Holy See's implementation of new COVID-19 measures, three Swiss guards have departed on a "voluntary" basis, a spokesperson for the corps said, according to the paper. Three other recruits, hitherto unvaccinated, had decided to get a shot but were temporarily suspended until they were fully inoculated, the spokesperson said.