More and more Swiss soldiers go to Lourdes each year

In Switzerland, Bishop Alain de Raemy is the head of the military chaplaincy office. Serving as the auxiliary bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Friborg (LGF), he used to be chaplain of the Swiss Guard in Rome. Interviewed by the German-speaking edition of Vatican News, he talked about the international military pilgrimage to Lourdes held on May 18-20, May 2018:

-What is the difference between the Swiss Guard and the Swiss Army?

-In the Guard, the soldier lives a unique experience, in the entourage of the Successor of Peter. He is forced to reflect on his faith. And his shifts are often long, conducted in silence, without access to a phone or any distraction. There, he really goes through a sort of self-discovery, in silence, before God.

The soldiers of the Swiss army do not have the same kind of experience. They go home on weekends and the pastoral care is not as prominent as in the Swiss Guard. But more and more Swiss soldiers, and active servicemen in general, are going to Lourdes. Among those who sign up for the pilgrimage, there are also Protestants and for the past two years even some Muslims soldiers. In 2017, a Catholic soldier was confirmed at Lourdes. He wanted to do it during this pilgrimage.

-Why a military pilgrimage in the context of Lourdes? How do soldiers fit in?

-Lourdes is a return to the source. This is what the Virgin Mary said to Bernadette. The soldiers must make this pilgrimage as a united corps, walk as one people. This really resonates with soldiers who have been in war situations.

Vatican News