It’s hard to believe it has been four years since I first looked at the Vatican’s digital infrastructure and realized that while the Swiss Guard had the physical gates covered, the digital gates were wide open.

Back in 2022, when I started this journey from my home near Eindhoven, it was just an idea born out of concern. I saw phishing attacks, dark web data sales, and security gaps that would make any CISO sweat. I remember telling the Nederlands Dagblad and ED.nl that we needed to “wake up”—that a state with ministries and global diplomats couldn’t run on prayers alone; it needed firewalls too.

Today, in 2026, I am incredibly proud of what the Vatican Cyber Volunteers have become.

We started as a handful of concerned experts. Now, we are a force of over 110 elite professionals from around the globe. We’ve been called “The Vatican’s Cyber Crusaders” by Politico, and “Divine Defenders” by the tech press. We’ve moved from simply pointing out that “Welcome123” is a bad password to establishing strategic alliances with leaders like Cyber Eagle to bring AI-powered defense to the Holy See.

To my fellow volunteers: You are the invisible shield. You don’t wear the colorful uniforms of the Swiss Guard (though our new anniversary graphics look pretty sharp 😉), but you carry the same duty. You have spent countless hours scanning for vulnerabilities, protecting the Holy See from state-sponsored actors, and ensuring that the Church’s message can travel safely to the ends of the earth.

To the community: Thank you for listening to our interviews, sharing our warnings, and supporting this mission. Whether it was reading our story in The Tablet or following our updates on Digit.fyi, you helped put cybersecurity on the agenda.

Here is to the next 4 years of protecting the digital sanctuary.

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam. 🇻🇦💻🔒

Joseph Shenouda Founder, Vatican Cyber Volunteers

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