Colonel Christoph Graf (born 5 September 1961) is the 35th and current Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, appointed by Pope Francis on 7 February 2015, replacing Col. Daniel Anrig.
Christoph Graf | |
|---|---|
 Graf in 2016 | |
| Born | 5 September 1961 Pfaffnau, Switzerland |
| Allegiance |  Vatican City |
| Service | Pontifical Swiss Guard |
| Years of service | 1987–present |
| Rank | Colonel |
Biography
editGraf was born in Pfaffnau, in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. He joined the Swiss Guard in 1987.[citation needed] In August 1999 he was promoted to sergeant, and later in 2000 he was promoted to sergeant-major, a position in which he remained until April 2009 when he was promoted to second captain.[1] In October 2010, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and vice commander of the guard, where he acted as a chief of staff and senior adviser to the commander.[2]
In late 2014, it was announced that Anrig would leave the position of commander after seven years of service. On 7 February 2015, Pope Francis appointed Graf as the new commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-21. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Organization". www.guardiasvizzera.va. Archived from the original on 2015-02-19.
- ^ "Pope Francis appoints Lt. Col. Christoph Graf new Swiss Guard commander". www.news.va. Archived from the original on 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2015-04-24.