Vatican City, Holy See: A Swiss Guard fainted during Pope Francis' weekly audience Wednesday, hitting the floor with a clang while still clutching his halberd, as a concerned pontiff looked on.
The young man, a member of the colourful armed body tasked with protecting the pope, toppled over while a religious text was being read out, an AFP photographer said.
In pictures, he can be seen lying face down wearing his recognisable red, yellow, and blue striped clothing and wearing his red feathered hat.
The man, looking pale, was pulled up almost immediately to standing, and helped to walk out of the Paul VI auditorium.
At the end of the audience, the 85-year-old pope broke with his routine and spoke to a plainclothes Swiss guard.
A Vatican spokesman told AFP that the guard had low blood pressure.
The small city-state is experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures forecast to reach 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday.
The Swiss Guards are the smallest army in the world, numbering 135 in total, and their members must be Roman Catholics, Swiss citizens, aged between 19 and 30 and at least 1.47 meters (four feet 10 inches) tall. Even if they get married later, they should remain single.
They commit to safeguarding the pope for at least 26 months.
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