One of the oldest military corps in the world, the Pontifical Swiss Guard, has always armed itself with the best gear available in its 518 years of active service protecting the pope.

VATICAN CITY - The Swiss Guard reported an additional seven men have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the current number of cases among the 113 guardsmen to 11.

VATICAN CITY -- Tasked with protecting the pope even at the cost of their own lives, members of the Swiss Guard are not just highly trained specialists in security and ceremonial detail, they also receive extensive spiritual formation, the guard's chaplain said.

The Vatican Cookbook: 500 Years of Classic Recipes, Papal Tributes and Exclusive Images of Life and Art at the Vatican by the Pontifi￾cal Swiss Guard. (Sophia Institute Press, 204 pages, $41.45 on Amazon.ca)

During an era in which coffee￾table books collect dust while handheld social media consumes idle time, there seems little need for another large hardback to join the lot on bookstore discount shelves. But The Vatican Cookbook stands out as an extraordinary and remark￾able collection holding within its pages 500 years of recipes, histor y and photographs.

VATICAN CITY – While the Swiss Guard's halberds and uniforms have remained largely unchanged over the centuries, its ceremonial helmets are now a product of 21st-century technology.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis greeted and blessed a group of pilgrims from China who broke protocol and approached him during the Wednesday general audience.

VATICAN CITY - The head of Vatican security said Islamic State militants have threatened the Vatican, but there are no indications of any planned attack.

VATICAN CITY - They say you can feast like a king, and now you can eat like a pope after a young chef from the Vatican’s Swiss Guards published a cookbook featuring the favourite recipes of Pope Francis and his predecessors.