Hello and welcome. Once again to Ewtns Bookmark. I'm Doug Keck, your host, our guest author, Mario Enzler. The book I served a saint published by Newman House Press available through our EWTN religious catalog. Welcome Mario to Ewtns Bookmark.

Thank you very much for having me, Doug. It's always a pleasure and an honor for me.

Well, thank you so much. Very good. Uh subtitled, I served as Saint, of course, is Reflections of a Swiss Guard in honor of the Centenary of the birth of Saint John Paul the second. So obviously the saint in question, as pictured on the front cover is uh Saint John Paul the second. Now you were a Swiss guard, right? I'm assuming that's you in the picture next to him on the cover, right?

Yes. Even though everybody keeps saying who's the man in white next to you.

So how does one become a Swiss Guard? We've talked to various Swiss Guards over the years. 11 had put a book together on food and uh and recipes. Uh and uh there's some other Swiss Guards we've talked to over the years who who have moved ahead in business and done different things. So how did your personal story bring you to the Swiss Guard in Rome?

So my story, Doug is very unique because I was born and raised in Italy in a small village just outside of Bergamo called Soto Il Monte under the mountain, which is the village where John the 23rd was born as a matter of fact. And so imagine my joy on April 27th, 2014 when Pope Francis on the same day, he canonized the men that I served and protected S Pope Paul the second. And the man that I dated two of his nieces. S Pope John the 23rd. Ok. But being born in Italy from a Swiss father, I always kept the swi I always kept the Swiss citizenship. And when I finished graduate school, my dad said that I needed some structure in my life. And so he encouraged me to join the army, the officer school. And he gave me the chance the choice between Italy army, Italian army and Swiss army and the Swiss army was much quicker only 17 weeks. And so I joined the Swiss army. And while I was there, I was approached by an officer that said in Rome, they are looking for somebody, you qualify, you fit that profile, you should seriously consider it join it. And so I said to him, well, thank you very much, sir, but I don't picture myself dressed as a clown standing still in the cobblestone, not being able to talk to anybody. And he said to me, well, you know, you just gave a legal description of the entire job description. And when you become a Swiss Guard Mario, first and foremost, you acquire a noble title and I said, I acquire a noble title. What does that mean? Am I going to become a duke or a prince? And he said, no, no, no, no. It's three Latin words. Well, Doug, my undergraduate is in classics. And so when he said three Latin words, he said, well, tell me these three Latin words, Teen sores, Libertas, ecclesia, protectors of the church's freedom. So this only child that grew up in Bergamo did all his education in Milano, Don Luigi Giusi, founder of communion and liberation was my professor. All of a sudden had to think who's trying to take away the church's freedom. But most of all, why? And so that's how I ended up becoming a Swiss God. I had all the prerequisites. I had done the Swiss Army. I was a Swiss citizen. I spoke all the national language. I had the height. And so I decided to apply and they accepted me and I was ample enough to serve for 3.5 years for 40 months.

So how, how in ways was it similar to being in the Swiss army? And how is it uniquely different?

Well, in the Swiss Army, you know, Swiss Army, Switzerland is a neutral country. OK? So when you join the Swiss army, you are trained to protect the borders. Swiss don't get into any word. Ok? So all the training is to protect the country and its citizens. Ok. When I arrived in the Vatican, the training that I had received obviously was extremely helpful because I was protecting a country, the Vatican and the citizen, actually the main citizen, Saint Pope Jean Paul. The second saw a lot of synonym between the two services with a different angle. Though very corporate angle in the uh very secular angle, in the Swiss army, very spiritual angle in the vatic.

Right now. You, you, you and the Acknowledgments, you, you, you thank George Weel for the forward and we'll talk a little bit about that. But you, you, you have a quote here and you say, I agree with Saint John Paul the second that the world looks to the priests because it looks to Jesus. No one can see Christ, but everyone can see the priest and through him, they wish to catch a glimpse of the Lord Immense is the grandeur of the Lord immense is the grandeur, dignity of the priest. Why did you think that was an important quote to put in right in the beginning?

Because I experienced that do every day that I was standing next to his holiness? I really felt that I was standing next to Christ. And to me every time that I was seeing him that he will walk by. I always felt that I had Christ walking by. All right. And the, the quote that you just, uh, me is a quote that he said once to a group of priests. OK. And made me think, wow, I've been leaving it. I've been feeling it. I've been experiencing it and now here it is formulated, articulated it. And you know what, that same day, he also told the priest, not only that you and I, when we catch a priest, we catch a glimpse of Christ. But he also told the priest what it means to be a priest. And you know what it means to be a priest, it means to be a man for others. And in order to be a man for other, he saint Pope John Paul, the second told the priest that they had to be more and not to do more. So that's what I've been pondering for so many years. How can I fulfill my priesthood, so to speak, trying to be more rather than falling into the secular way of doing more.

Now, it's interesting in the, in the foe George Weigel says, if no man is a hero to his valet, which is an old expression is any man, a hero to his bodyguards. And he goes on to say that a man can not only be a hero to his bodyguards, but a role model in the spiritual life. And and in making that statement that, that says a lot. So you saw him up close and personal, even with maybe whatever the human aspects of his, that maybe aren't as obvious to the people watching on television through EWTN. But you saw through that to the saint

I did. And uh when I was talking to George, you know, when I was asking him, can you please uh write something? It, it made me think that if somebody says to me, Mario, can you tell me three things, three things only that you took by being backstage with his holiness? Now keep in mind do I did not sit down with his holiness to discuss the Suma theo? That's not what I did. Ok? We talked about random things. Ok? But what I took away spending time with the saint and you know, I have also the privilege that I spend a lot of time with another saint, Mother Teresa. But with him, what I learned, the three things that I took away do are we need to be human. We need to be persistent, especially today. This is not the time to hold back and we need to be creative in other way, we need to try new things. And those three verb, you know, being human, being persistent, being creative, I didn't read them on a bumper sticker in Rome. I felt them on my own skin simply paying attention of uh uh his actions, focusing on his postures, the way that he was talking to people, the way that he was pondering and pausing. So uh that's how he came up. He was extremely human. He was extremely persistent or courageous if you wanna say so. And he was extremely creative,

right? You mentioned in the book that it was precisely faith that which was the heart of his pontificate. You go on to say, in fact, Papa Voi was as you would call him, was convinced that Christiane represented a liberating force for individuals and peoples. You go on to say, I've heard him say that Christianity could transform a nation's history only if it were a source of spiritual power within the culture and not merely a cultural milieu. Uh That seems to be a major problem we certainly have in the States, let alone around the globe, isn't it?

I totally agree with you. You know, uh today, uh one of the, the big concern that I have is this lack of understanding that sacrifice is redemptive. For instance, in other words, we believe in our relativism. Mind that sacrifice is something that we have to avoid. Instead, Saint Paul John Paul. The second showed me almost on a daily basis that s is redemptive. And the reason why it's redemptive is because there is a deeper reward. When we as Christians, we made sacrifice for the sake of a higher purpose and in service of others. And I believe that the spiritual renew, the spiritual angle. The spiritual narrative is an antidote to today's increased cynicism and stress. And don't forget doc that Saint Paul. The second was a man of prayer, a man of hope and a man focused on the Eucharist. So why don't we all do a self examination of conscience? And we try to, as I said before, try to understand how we can be more rather than doing more. Well,

you just brought up the Eucharist. So I go there, I remember clearly the intensity with which he celebrated. The Eucharist explained.

Well, one day, you know, I uh was informed that we were gonna be in a private mess with him in a small group of people. I've met to several private messes with him. And uh I don't know, but during the consecration, during the elevation of the host, I really felt goose bumps all over my body because I really felt like Christ, you know, during the transition, I really felt like Christ had come from the horse down his arm into his body. All right. And he was one with Christ. OK. And uh to me is, is love for the Eucharist. The many hours that he spent in his private chapel sometime even prostrating. I've seen that prostrating in the floor again in front of the Tabernacle. Really made me realize that he had a unique connection. You know, it's like he had the red phone, you know, remember the Russian people Khrushchev will have the red phone made me think like he had the red phone to communicate with God. And the Eucharist was the center of this d

had the hotline there. You say you had direct contact with them also said also what struck you was by his richness of his intuitions, the depth and his spirituality as he talked about in the Eucharist. You also talk about not only his prayerful but his immense humility. How is that seen? And also you talk about one of the other people you got to know was Mother Teresa. How were the two of them? Because you talk about humility and you think about both of them together. Does it relate?

You know that somebody says uh how is it to be in the presence of a saint and uh to define humility? Here is my answer. Every time that I was interacting either with Saint Pope John Paul the second or, or with Saint Mother Teresa, they were focusing on me, on me alone. It was tangible palpable that they were looking at me, paying attention. Who who I was, they were not looking behind me, they were not going off and they were certainly not doing me a favor. Ok. So what I meant, what I meant is they were focusing on me, an humble person and saint Pope John Paul the second was able to interact with president of country and with the janitor of an elementary school. On the same way, he had a clear understanding of the dignity of the human person and he was focused on little things. He was focused on people. He definitely saw Christ in every person and that made him unique. Mother Teresa. Same way she was focus and attract by the weak by the the Sikh mother Teresa. She was more if I may say so. She was more rural than John Paul the second. Ok. Mother Teresa, she was strong, she was fearless and she knew how to say certain things to catch people attention. In other words, Mother was definitely less diplomatic than seeing Pope John Paul the second was but together, together humility. At first. Number one.

Now you make the point here that obviously you talk about Totus to us and the connection for John Paul two to the blessed mother. You said it's, it was no surprise that many of the Swiss Guard. And I'm I'm assuming including yourself were drawn to her through the Pope's manly and powerful devotion to our lady. How did that impact you?

Well, in part me because many, many times I will see him, especially in the afternoon, around 330 walk around either on the roof of the apostolic palace or in the apostolic palace with a rosary in his hand. And I would say, wow, why is he doing that? You know, is he just doing it because that's something that a priest has to do he has to say a rosary a day. And then he impacted me the day that he gave me the rosary and the day that he gave me the rosary, if I may say so in 35 seconds, I was tired. It was a long day of service. I was hot. My feet were hurting me and he walked by and I went in attention do and, uh, he passed me and then he came back and when he came back, he put his hand in the pocket of his cassock and he took some beats out and he put them in front of my nose literally. And he said, Mario, the rosary is my favorite prayer. Marvelous. He needs simplicity and he needs profundity, take my beats and make them your most powerful weapon. And then he gave them to me and then I closed my fist. He walked away. He stopped that. He turned around and he looked at me again and he said, Mario, remember all always call on Mary because she is the one that will help you and intercede for you. You know, doc. Since that day, I carry a rosary in my pocket. I hope that you have your rosary in your pocket. That the people in your cameraman have a rosary in their pocket because that's a sign of masculinity. Every man should be carrying a rosary in their pocket. Should we say a rosary every day? We should try but guess what doc if we can't finish the rosary? Well, we should not be afraid because Mary will finish

it for. That's why I have a Warriors Rosary that you have a 10 actually has available that we sell too. You know, you also mentioned the point here. You talk about uh two things, you talk about his goodness, but his tenacity. And you also make the point that he never resigned himself to decline of the church. Rather just the opposite. Is there a sense out there that the church is in decline in your mind?

Well, I sense that today uh the leadership within the church are lacking courage. OK? And to me, unfortunately, I'm an humble servant. I'm a sinner. I say that lack of courage comes back because of lack of faith. And here is my very short answer to you. One day I asked him your holiness, why do you always tell us to not be afraid? You know what he answered, Mario, we cannot be afraid because God is one day ahead of us. Here is, here is my answer. He was a man of tenacity, a man of courage because of this is deep faith. So that's what I, that's what I, I hope that people reading my book and watching this interview will try to be in pursuit of courageous comes through fate. So let's be courageous man and women

baptized. Now you mentioned uh an expression I heard many times from him was be more. Now you mentioned the, be afraid, be not afraid, which we all hear. What about be more?

Well, you know, to me, I've been pondering on these two words. Be more because you and I, you are, you know, as I said before, we have a tendency to do more, right? You know, I teach a lot of priests and bishops and I always tell them, you know, doc if you, your excellency or father, if you tell me that you are too busy. Well, I'm gonna tell you that ants are busy. The reason why you tell me that you're busy is because you don't really know how to manage wisely your time. So what I think that be more means today is to rediscover our baptismal commitment. Remembering that everything that we have doc, every gift that we have financial strength, intellectual, strength, biological strength is given to us for the good of the church and its mission. That's what I think the more means today.

Now you give a little history in the book about the Swiss Guard and you talk about the simplicity and, and the whole idea relating to John Paul too. You say that uh my sense from having lived in the Vatican of the cardinals whom I've met is that not one of them actually wants to be Pope, it is certainly much easier to be a cardinal than to be a pope.

Well, you know what I stay iii I re reaffirm the state because it's much easier to be a cardinal than it is to be a pope. Just think about it. Doc everybody watches the pope the way that he moves every word that he says. Everybody has his own criticism based on their agenda and beliefs. OK. So they don't buy a one way ticket when they are summit to Rome for a conclave. Not because they don't wanna jink it so to speak, but because they just wanna go back so that they can live a free life. Now, here is a legal question for you, but I'll give you the answer. You know why a cardinal when he becomes a Pope, he changes his name. That's not because it's the tradition dog. That's because his previous life is over as Matthew says and I quote, your previous life is over because you will be asked to go where you do not wish to go. So po po of simplicity today, Pope Francis Mario Bergoglio, you know, yesterday, uh Pope Benedict Joseph Ratzinger, the moment that they dress in white, their previous life is

over. Now, is it true that you had a relative of yours who used to design sweaters for the Pope?

Well, the, the story is um I never met my grandmother from my mom. So my mom's mom, but uh uh I met her older sister, which was my aunt and my aunt that she was born in 1899 OK. She, as a typical Italian, she would, you know, she would do, um, uh, how you say the verb when you, you, you, you had the two sticks under your arm. Pete crochet. No, not crochet. Crochet. Right. Right. Right. So one day my mom calls me and she says, you know, the Aina and pina, she made Isolines a sweater. We're gonna send it to you and you have to give it to his zoss. And I said mom doesn't work like that. Ok? But sure send it to me. All right. And so sure enough a couple of weeks later, do I received in the mail? You know, a package and my mom had wrapped it, but she had told me you can take some tape off so that you can see it. And I opened it and it was a beautiful white old weather, you know, Merino wool, ok? With wooden button. Ok? And longer you will go, you know, past your waist. Ok? And so I took it with me in service do and casualty meant that uh Monsignor JVI, you know, the secretary today, Cardinal walk walked by and so I stopped him and I said, uh Monsignor, my aunt made this sweater for his holiness. Can I please give it to you? And he said sure. And I thought, you know, he's gonna give it. He put it in the room with all the presents and forget about it. Well, that was at the beginning of December. Then I totally forgot about it. Until December 31st. I was in ST Peter's Square. Is Oline had gone to celebrate the mess at the Ka Del J downtown Rome. He came back and there is a picture on the book. He came back to visit the crash and the Christmas tree in the square. All right. And he had his red cape and when he came by me, I noticed that under his red cape dog, he had my front sweater. And so when I look at that, I look at that, a tear came down my right eye. And Monsignor JVI saw me. He came and he said he really liked it and is keeping him, is keeping him warm. Please tell your aunt, thank you. And I called my mom and she put my aunt on the phone and I will never forget the silence and the chuckle that I heard on the other side. So yes, my aunt designed a sweater that he actually wore because it kept him warm

ago. You also mentioned the fact that he never missed a chance to express uh gratitude and sometimes to the point of joking around meaning with the uh with the, the Swiss Guard. And you have AAA particular story in it where uh he, he mentioned that maybe you don't really need to bow Mario. How did that happen?

So it was at the end of the, of a Wednesday General audience dog. And my service was I had to leave and go where he was going to walk by to secure the space, the passage. And I went up in attention and his butler, you know, every Pope as a secretary who was a priest and that as a butler who was a layman. Ok. And his layman name was Angelo and I was friends with Angelo. So when Angelo was right in front of me, you know, seven or 8 ft ahead of his holiness, he elbowed me do. He elbowed me right below my sternum and he, I'm sure he didn't mean to do it so hard. Ok. But when he did that caused me to bow down, I went down with my helmet. Ok. Exactly. When his holiness was right in line and his holiness has to step away so that the helmet didn't really. Ok. And when I pull myself back up and I fixed the helmet, you know, and I was choking because of the elbow, he looked at me and he said, Mario, there is no need to bow. So, and everybody laughed, you know, so he had a sense of humor. He saw a moment of difficulties and he made a laugh out

of, well, we're just about out of time. Uh, there's other people that you experienced, including mother Teresa and others here. Uh, and including one quote, I'll leave us with it, which she said you can't get from here to tomorrow in one giant leap. Some other uh words of wisdom coming uh from Rome, this time from Mother Teresa. Thank you so much uh Maria Enzler for chronicling your experiences and giving us some insights into uh this great saint of our church. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much and God bless you. You

too. Our guest has been Mario Enzler. I served a saint is the title of the book Reflections of a Swiss Guard in honor of the Centenary of the birth of Saint John Paul, the second Mother Angelica just loved him. It's published by Newman House Press available through our EWTN religious catalog. Ewtnrc.com is the place you can find it all things Catholic. Thank you so much. Join us next time on Bookmark.