At a time when shells are raining down on Ukrainian maternity wards and Palestinian refugees are perishing for lack of humanitarian corridors, a question arises with new urgency: who is responsible for safeguarding the fundamental rules that protect human beings in times of war? The answer, surprising to many, unites two seemingly asymmetrical entities: a papal microstate nestled in the heart of Rome and an Alpine democracy that has made neutrality a state philosophy. For centuries, the Holy See and the Swiss Confederation have shared far more than an institutional link: they jointly safeguard a moral and legal heritage whose value has never been so threatened.
This shared heritage has found, since the election of Leo XIV, a remarkably clear papal defender. In his address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See in January 2026, the Pope declared unequivocally: «Humanitarian law, in addition to guaranteeing a minimum of humanity in the scourges of war, is a commitment undertaken by States. It must always prevail over the whims of belligerents.» These words, spoken before 184 delegations, sounded like an urgent appeal to restore a legal edifice that is crumbling. This edifice is called the Geneva Conventions—and their official custodian is none other than Switzerland.
A shared heritage with deep roots
The Swiss Guard: much more than a symbol
There is something breathtaking about the historical continuity that unites Bern and Rome. Since January 22, 1506, when 150 soldiers from the canton of Uri first crossed the threshold of the Apostolic Palace to be blessed by Julius II, the Pontifical Swiss Guard has watched over the Successor of Peter. Five hundred and twenty years of uninterrupted service—without a single war, schism, or revolution. On May 6, 1527, during the Sack of Rome, 147 guards perished to allow Clement VII to escape. This sacrifice is not a mere military anecdote: it is the very embodiment of an alliance that transcends time. Even today, approximately 130 Swiss Guards constitute the largest foreign community living within the walls of Vatican City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
But this relationship is not simply a matter of security in Renaissance attire. The inauguration, on May 6, 2022, of Switzerland's first permanent embassy to the Holy See—symbolically opened on the anniversary of the Sacco di Roma—marks a new institutional milestone. The two states share common foreign policy objectives: promoting peace, combating the death penalty, and fostering sustainable development. As the head of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, stated at the inauguration, there are "fundamental common goals" between Bern and Rome that Switzerland and the Vatican have a shared obligation to pursue.
The Geneva Conventions: A Legacy Under Pressure
It is in the field of international humanitarian law that this partnership takes on its full strategic importance. Since 1864, Switzerland has been the institutional guardian of the Geneva Conventions, this fundamental body of law that establishes minimum standards for the protection of persons in times of war: the wounded, prisoners, civilians, and medical personnel. The four 1949 conventions, universally ratified by the 196 member states of the international community, together with their 1977 Additional Protocols, constitute the pillars of international humanitarian law. Their Article 3, common to all four texts, is often described as a "mini-convention": it protects civilians and combatants incapacitated for combat even in non-international armed conflicts.
The Holy See itself acceded to these conventions. On November 21, 1985, it deposited its instrument of ratification of Additional Protocols I and II with the Swiss government, thus becoming the 53rd State Party to Protocol I and the 46th to Protocol II. This gesture was not symbolic: it signified that the Catholic Church, as a sovereign entity, formally committed itself to respecting and promoting the universal rules for the protection of victims of war. It too is a signatory—and therefore a co-custodian of this shared legal heritage with Switzerland.
The global humanitarian crisis and the voice of Leo XIV
A frank diagnosis
Faced with the proliferation of contemporary conflicts—Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar—this legal heritage is being severely tested. In his January 2026 address to ambassadors, Leo XIV did not hesitate to name the crimes: «We cannot remain silent on the fact that the destruction of hospitals, energy infrastructure, homes, and places essential to daily life constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.» These words directly targeted practices observed in both Ukraine and Gaza. The Pope reaffirmed «the condemnation of any form of involvement of civilians in military operations» and called on the international community to remember that «the protection of the principle of the inviolability of human dignity and the sanctity of life always takes precedence over any national interest.».
This stance is consistent with the teachings of Leo XIV on peace. In his Message for the 59th World Day of Peace, published for January 1, 2026, he called for the construction of «a disarmed and disarming peace,» against the logic of domination and fear that characterizes our era. The formula is Augustinian in its depth: if «even those who want war want nothing more than to win, they therefore wish to achieve a glorious peace through war»—as the Pope himself quotes in his diplomatic address—then the only Christian response is to break this cycle by proposing rules that apply to everyone, regardless of the balance of power.
Scripture offers a striking anchor here. The prophet Ezekiel, addressing those who claim to exercise power without being accountable to God, proclaims: «"Woe to the shepherd of Israel who feeds only himself!"» (Ezekiel 34:2). This prophetic appeal, addressed to leaders who abandon the most vulnerable, resonates particularly strongly in a context where states that are signatories to the Geneva Conventions are violating their own commitments. The protection of civilians is not a tactical option: it is an absolute moral imperative, the universality of which institutional guardians—Switzerland and the Holy See foremost—have a duty to uphold.
The concept of "humanitarian heritage" in the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas
The heritage dimension is central to Leo XIV's thinking. In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Promulgated on May 15, 2026, it develops the idea that the fundamental principles of human dignity constitute a "heritage of wisdom" that each generation receives as an inheritance and has a duty to transmit. It states that "the Social Doctrine of the Church is a heritage of wisdom in which we find principles for thinking, criteria for discerning or judging, and concrete guidelines for action." Furthermore, it emphasizes shared responsibility, citing Nehemiah's reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem as an icon of collective work: "To each their part of the wall: scientists and researchers, entrepreneurs and workers, educators and legislators, civil society, popular movements, and faith communities.".
This theological framework directly illuminates the Swiss-Vatican question. Switzerland, guardian of the Geneva Conventions, is one of these "parts of the wall." The Holy See is another. Their cooperation is not an alliance of convenience but an institutional vocation in service of a universal common good. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, expresses this insight with extraordinary clarity: «"We, who are many, form one body in Christ."» (Romans 12:5). The community of nations that have signed the Geneva Conventions also forms, in its own order, a body in which each member bears a responsibility towards the others.
Towards a renewed humanitarian diplomacy
Switzerland as a natural partner of the Holy See
Relations between Bern and Rome are now at a strategic crossroads. Since the opening of the permanent embassy in 2022, the two states have significantly intensified their dialogue on issues of peace, human rights, and humanitarian law. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs explicitly emphasizes that «in accordance with the common objectives of their foreign policy, Switzerland and the Vatican collaborate in support of peacekeeping operations and the protection of human rights.» This convergence is not accidental: it reflects a structural affinity between two actors who cannot wield military power and who therefore have a vested interest in maintaining an international order based on the rule of law.
Switzerland, through its role as depositary of the Geneva Conventions and host of the International Red Cross, embodies a concept of active neutrality: not indifference to conflicts, but commitment to the rules that govern them. The Holy See, for its part, practices multilateral diplomacy based on what the Jesuit theologian Andrea Vicini calls the "institutional prophecy": reminding states of their commitments in the name of a moral authority that transcends partisan interests. Leo XIV embodies this prophecy with a clarity that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, himself translated into concrete diplomatic terms during bilateral meetings: the Holy See is ready to support any initiative promoting peace, ceasefires, and the reconstruction of conflict zones.
Rebuilding multilateralism on moral foundations
Ultimately, what Leo XIV and Switzerland are defending together is a vision of multilateralism that the Pope describes as a "forum" where peoples meet and talk, "on the model of the ancient forum Roman or medieval square.» This vision is now challenged by what the Pope calls a «diplomacy of force,» which replaces multilateral consensus with bilateral power relations between great powers. Faced with this drift, the Swiss-Holy See alliance represents precisely the type of partnership the world needs: two actors of modest size but considerable moral authority, whose credibility rests precisely on their independence from military blocs.
Church historian Klaus Schatz reminds us that the Holy See has always exercised a form of moral arbitration in European conflicts, long before international humanitarian law was codified. Leo XIV follows in this tradition, projecting it onto the globalized world of the 21st century. His vision is of a humanity capable of establishing common rules and respecting them—not through coercion, but because, as Ezekiel wrote, every nation carries within it the memory of its own vulnerability.
What the Pope calls in Magnifica Humanitas The Church's "heritage of wisdom" thus joins, in a fruitful dialogue, the legal heritage of which Switzerland has been the institutional guardian for over a century and a half. This twofold heritage—moral and legal—does not belong solely to Catholics or to the Swiss alone: it belongs to all humanity. And it is precisely because it is universal that it demands, today more than ever, guardians determined to defend its integrity, even at the cost, if necessary, of their own popularity.
History reminds us that on May 6, 1527, 147 men died on the steps of the Apostolic Palace because they had sworn to protect something greater than themselves. The question posed today is whether the nations that signed the Geneva Conventions are still capable of comparable loyalty to the commitments they freely entered into. The answer lies with each state—but the reminder belongs to Rome and Bern.
✝ Biblical references
2 passages · 2 books
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. (Ezekiel 36:26)
Apocalyptic visions, oracles of judgment, and the promise of the restoration of Israel.
→ Explore the Ezekiel Codex- When bishops from the ends of the earth bring the flesh of the digital world before the Pope
- The silence of nations in the face of the Plateau State Golgotha: the Catholic Church in Nigeria on the front line
- Yamoussoukro, a beacon of the world: when the largest basilica on earth becomes the voice of Rome for Francophone Africa
- When the Church looks at itself in the mirror of the algorithm: Magnifica Humanitas' revolutionary mea culpa
The righteous will live by faith. (Romans 1:17)
Paul's great theological synthesis: sin, grace, justification, and life in the Spirit.
→ Explore the Roman Codex- Magnifica Humanitas: When the Church speaks to man, not to the State — and why this is a profound theological act
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- The river still flows: Leo XIV, the liturgy, and American anxiety
- «"We respect the teachings of the Pope" — when a polite formula masks a civilizational divide
🌍 2 countries involved
In Switzerland, Catholics today form a significant minority in a country historically divided among several Christian denominations. The earliest Christian roots date back to Roman times, then the Gospel…
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In the Vatican, the population is almost entirely Catholic, since this microstate exists in direct service to the universal Church. The Christian presence there dates back to the 1st century with the martyrdom and burial of Saint Peter…
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