Daniel Rudolf Anrig takes over as head of the Swiss Guards on Dec. 1, replacing Elmar Theodore Maeder, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The Swiss Guards have protected the pope for more than 500 years. Maeder reportedly decided against a second five-year term because he was unhappy that the Vatican Gendarmerie, the other and less venerable force, was being given a larger role.

Anrig was a member of the Swiss Guards from 1992 to 1994. He studied law at the University of Freiburg and lectured there briefly before becoming head of criminal investigation in Glarus.

In 2006, Anrig became a captain in the Swiss Army and commander of the police force in the canton of Glarus. He is married and the father of four.

The 110 Swiss Guards, recruited from a small group of towns, must be practicing Catholics of "stainless reputation" and have completed their military service in Switzerland.