VOA新闻杂志2022--梵蒂冈为可能出现的瑞士女兵做准备

A new housing center for the Vatican's Swiss Guard force will reportedly accommodate both male and female members.

The purpose of the force is to guard the residence of Pope Francis, as well as all official entrances to Vatican City in Rome, Italy.

Currently, only males are permitted to serve in the Swiss Guard.

A Swiss organization is raising money to build the new housing center – also called a barracks. The organization signed an agreement with the Vatican's Secretary of State on May 4.

An official with the Foundation of the Pontifical¹ Swiss Guard told Reuters the agreement calls for the new barracks to have single rooms with private bathrooms. The barracks where the Swiss Guard now live is a shared space.

The official, Riccardo Boscardin, said there were two reasons the new barracks will have the ability to separate Guard members. "One is because COVID hit when the project started and the second is the possibility of integrating women into the guard," he said.

When asked about the possibility of women joining the force, Boscardin said, "this decision is not ours, but exclusively that of the Vatican and the pope."

The rule requiring Guard members to be male goes back to the year 1506, when the force was created. Members must also be Catholic, unmarried and have Swiss citizenship².

The 85-year-old Pope Francis has already named women to several high positions in the Vatican administration. In March, he introduced a new constitution that permits any baptized Catholic, including women, to head most Vatican departments.

The Foundation of the Pontifical Swiss Guard is seeking to raise about $46 million to replace the current barracks, Boscardin told Reuters. He said work was expected to begin in January of 2026. That date was chosen so members would not be displaced during the 2025 Holy Year, when millions of visitors are expected to travel to the Vatican.

Boscardin said the site of the current barracks will be kept or rebuilt exactly as it is now. He noted³ that the new barracks will look a lot like the existing one on the outside. But he said building a new, environmentally friendly barracks will cost much less than repairing the existing one.

Words in This Story

accommodate – v. to provide what is needed or wanted for something

residence – n. where a person lives

integrate – v. to combine two or more things to make something more effective

exclusive – adj. not shared with everyone

baptism – v. a religious ceremony held when a person officially enters a religion

replace – v. to take the place of something else

displace – v. to make someone or something leave their usual place or postition

site – n. the place where something happens

1 pontifical   

adj.自以为是的，武断的

参考例句：

• His words criticizing modern society just right indicate his pontifical character.他用以批评现代社会的言论恰好反映了他自大武断的性格。
• The lawyer,with pontifical gravity,sat on a high chair.那律师摆出一副威严庄重的样子，坐在一把高脚椅上。

2 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。