Christoph Graf

Christoph Graf
Graf as Vice Commander in 2014
Born	September 5th 1961 (age 54) Pfaffnau, Switzerland
Allegiance	Vatican City
Service/branch	Pontifical Swiss Guard
Years of service	1987–present
Rank	Colonel (Oberst)

Christoph Graf (born September 5, 1961) is the 35th and current Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, appointed by Pope Francis on February 7, 2015, replacing Col. Daniel Anrig since then.

Biography

Graf was born in Pfaffnau, in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. He joined the Swiss Guard in 1987, in August 1999 he was promoted to Sergeant, and later in 2000 he was promoted as Sergeant-Major, position in which remained until April 2009 when he was promoted as a Second Captain.^[1] In October 2010, he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Vice Commander of the guard, in where he acted as a chief of staff and the first adviser of the commander.^[2]

In late 2014, it was announced that Colonel Anrig will leave the position of commander after 7 years of service. Some of the people thought that Graf would be a very likely replacement. It was until February 7, 2015 when it was announced that Pope Francis appoint Graf as the new Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.^[3]

References