(Left to right) Mattieu Hüging, Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama and Francisco Cardenas at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Aug. 15, 2025.
Imagine being a highly trained soldier in a storied military. Also, the pope may check to make sure you have enough snacks when you’re guarding his front door. He may also send you home with books. And you walk there in black, wooden-soled and wooden-heeled shoes that click.
It’s part of service in the Swiss Guard. And Mattieu Hüging, 27, was part of it.
On his way to The Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Hüging made a stop in the Diocese of Raleigh to visit friends Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama and Francisco Cardenas.
The trio first met years ago at the Vatican, where Hüging was a Swiss Guard when Bishop and Cardenas were present for an audience with the Holy Father.
An 11-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Cardenas wanted to learn more about the world-famous Swiss Guard, which protects the pope and Vatican City. And Hüging, who was secretary of the commander, was appointed their guide.
Both Bishop Luis and Cardenas recalled how he welcomed them and had an ability to be both professional and human at the same time. He was approachable, they said, and not cold. Since then they’ve had three occasions to visit with one another.
On his visit to Raleigh Aug. 15, 2025, Hüging spoke with NC Catholics about the five and a half years he served in the guard.
Hüging, of course, is a citizen of Switzerland. It’s a requirement to be in the Swiss Guard. He speaks five languages - German, French, Spanish, English and Italian. His father, Martin, is Swiss German and his mother, Rocio, is Peruvian.
Hüging is also Catholic, another requirement to be in the guard. He grew up attending Mass and altar serving at his family’s church, where he’d often spot retired members of the Swiss Guard. He decided to join the Swiss Guard during his service to Swiss Military when he heard a speech from two active guardsmen.
He was adventurous, he said, and, in 2019, gathered the necessary documents, or dossier, to be considered. He met with a recruiter; he took tests. Later, he had a second meeting in Zürich and joined the Swiss Guard in 2020.
“It went very fast,” he smiled. “I was introduced in September and was there five years … two years on duty in uniform and then as secretary of the commander.”
Hüging completed basic training, a two-month process whereby he studied Italian at the Vatican and went to Switzerland for technical training with the police.
One of his memorable assignments was night duty at the pope’s residence. “If you were lucky, you could see him in the morning,” said Hüging, who added that Pope Francis made sure he had enough cookies and asked him about reading.
Hüging joined the Swiss Guard during the papacy of Pope Francis and completed his service during the first days of Pope Leo XIV.
He said he still remembers feeling excited to see Pope Francis for the first time. After five years, Hüging said he said became used to the pope’s presence, but it still felt special. Hüging considered it an honor to stand for a two-hour silent guard by the pope’s casket during visitation at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The pope’s death, he said, was a shock. But, he added, there was a protocol to follow and work to do. After the funeral it was calm for a little while and then it all began again during the Conclave.
Hüging left Vatican City at the end of June for Washington, D.C., where he now attends The Catholic University of America and is pursuing a degree in global studies.
“The moment I left I was sad, leaving behind memories and friends,” he said, noting that he took part in another guardsman tradition in his final days – to leave behind a photograph.
He chose one of him in his gala uniform in the Giardini Vaticani, or Vatican Gardens, with the dome of the basilica and statue of St. Peter looking on his Church in the background. He also chose one of him in a suit in the office. Tradition dictates that the guardsman prints the photo(s) and gives one of them to people they knew during their service. These recipients may be colleagues or employees at local restaurants or stores. It’s a way to say farewell and leave behind part of oneself.
His service in the guard, he said, helped his faith to grow as he became more connected to the Church.
His family, which includes two brothers Michael and Marc, was able to visit him during his time at the Vatican. And his parents, uncle and Marc were also with him in Raleigh when he visited. From her seat in a pew of Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral on the Feast of the Assumption his mother said it was a great blessing and a joy to see her son serve in the Swiss Guard.
