A petition has been launched in canton Valais to stop a planned CHF 1m donation to renovate the Swiss Guards’ barracks in the Vatican.
The money would come from lottery funds.
Campaigners against the donation say the money shouldn’t be used for religious purposes.
There’s also a fight going on in other cantons about money for the guards – especially in Lucerne.
But a legal expert from the University of Fribourg, says there is no legal reason why a canton can’t make a donation for a cause outside the country – and the Council of States in parliament points out Switzerland has supported the Swiss Guards in the Vatican for 500 years.
Switzerland is raising CHF 50m for the renovation and money has been pledged by the cantons as well as the Confederation.
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