Relations between Switzerland and the Holy See are excellent. An important and highly visible link is the Papal Swiss Guard, which was founded in 1506 by Pope Julius II. The celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the Papal Swiss Guard took place in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI, and were attended by the then President of the Swiss Confederation, Moritz Leuenberger, many leading Swiss figures and several thousand former members of the Guard, their families and friends. The annual swearing-in ceremony of the new Swiss Guards traditionally takes place in the presence of high-level Swiss political representatives.

The Papal Nuntius has a dual role: he is not only the Pope’s representative to the local Catholic church, he also represents the Holy See in his host State. The Apostolic Nuntiature in Switzerland is the oldest permanent representation of the Holy See north of the Alps. It was opened in Lucerne in 1597. The Nuntius was initially accredited with the Catholic cantons and in 1803 for the first time with the Confederation. In 1873, the “Kulturkampf” [cultural struggle] led to the severing of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and the Holy See in the context of the “Mermillod Affair". Diplomatic relations were only restored in 1920.

The first papal visit to Switzerland was in 1969 when Pope Paul VI visited the UN in Geneva. The first visit by Pope John Paul II to Switzerland in 1982 was also to Geneva and the United Nations. In 1984, Pope John Paul II made a five-day pastoral visit to Switzerland and a third visit in 2004, this time to attend the National Meeting of the Young Catholics of Switzerland, in Bern.

The Federal Council takes every opportunity to strengthen diplomatic relations with the Holy See. In 2004, it also appointed the Swiss Ambassador in Prague as regular ambassador to the Holy See. Diplomatic relations with the Holy See had previously been conducted only “on special mission”. Since April 2010 the Swiss Ambassador to the Holy See resides in Switzerland. Moreover, in June 2011 political consultations between the Holy See and Switzerland took place for the first time in the history of bilateral relations. The main themes discussed on this occasion (human rights, questions of genocide, developments in North Africa and the Middle East, Christianophobia and persecution of Christians) were subsequently addressed in more depth by the specialist offices of the Federal Administration and the Holy See. Both sides expressed their desire to continue this exchange about issues and themes relevant to each state in the future too.