Christoph Graf

Colonel Christoph Graf (born 5 September 1961) is a Swiss military officer. He serves as the 35th Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, appointed by Pope Francis on 7 February 2015, succeeding Colonel Daniel Anrig.

Colonel Christoph Graf
Graf in 2024
35th Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 February 2015
Monarchs	Francis (2015–2025) Leo XIV (2025–present)
Preceded by	Daniel Anrig
Personal details
Born	(1961-09-05) 5 September 1961 (age 63) Pfaffnau, Switzerland
Military service
Allegiance	Vatican City
Branch/service	Pontifical Swiss Guard
Years of service	1987–present
Rank	Colonel

Biography

Graf was born in Pfaffnau, in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. He joined the Swiss Guard in 1987.^{[citation needed]} In August 1999 he was promoted to sergeant, and later in 2000 he was promoted to sergeant-major, a position in which he remained until April 2009 when he was promoted to second captain.^[1] In October 2010, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and vice commander of the guard, where he acted as a chief of staff and senior adviser to the commander.^[2]

In late 2014, it was announced that Anrig would leave the position of commander after seven years of service. On 7 February 2015, Pope Francis appointed Graf as the new commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.^[3]