Pope sacks 'too strict' Swiss Guard chief

Pope Francis has dismissed the head of his private army – the Swiss Guard – amid rumours that he was unhappy with the commander’s draconian management style.

A one-sentence notice in the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, announced on Wednesday that Daniel Anrig will no longer serve as the commandant of the 500-year-old corps after the end of next month.

While no official reason has been given, rumours are flying round St Peter’s Square that the Pontiff was appalled recently when he emerged one morning from his private suite of rooms to find that a Swiss Guard had been standing guard all night.