VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Adolf Ogi, the President of the Swiss Federation, will be received at the Vatican on May 6, in conjunction with the annual ceremonies in which new recruits are welcomed to the ranks of the Swiss Guard.

    May 6 is traditionally the day when the Vatican swears in new members of the Swiss Guard, and pays tribute to the 147 members of the unit who gave their lives in defense of Pope Clement VII, during the sacking of Rome in 1527.

    Some 35 new members of the Guard (30 of whom will be native German speakers, 12 French, 2 Italian, and 1 Romany) will be sworn in on May 6 in the St. Damasus court, in the traditional ceremony under the windows of the papal apartment. President Ogi will be among many Swiss and Italian political figures on hand for the occasion.