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Updated · Laughing Squid · May 7Swiss Guard musicians perform Sweet Caroline at Vatican swearing-in ceremony
4 articles · Updated · Laughing Squid · May 7
- The surprise tribute in Vatican City honoured Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, as 28 new recruits joined the papal force in May.
- The band played Neil Diamond's classic at the end of the ceremony, giving the formal event a distinctly American note.
- The Swiss Guard, the small army that protects the pope, used the performance to mark Leo XIV's historic election.
How is an American Pope using pop music to reshape the Catholic Church’s ancient traditions? How will the first American Pope's condemnation of a U.S. war impact Vatican-U.S. diplomacy? Will Pope Leo XIV's modernizing reforms ultimately unite or divide the global Catholic community?