Alois Estermann was appointed as the commander of the Swiss Guard only hours before his death

Alois Estermann, 43, and his wife Gladys Meza Romero were shot dead in their apartment on Monday by a young recruit Cedric Tornay who then turned the gun on himself. The recruit is said to have been angry at his lack of recognition within the Swiss Guard.

The couple has been mourned on Wednesday at a funeral in St. Peter's Basilica. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state and highest-ranking official in the Holy See after the Pope, celebrated the Mass.

Earlier in the day, Pope John Paul II went to the chapel where all three bodies were laid out. He said Mr Estermann, who in 1981 protected the Pope from an assassination attempt, was a person of great faith and solid devotion to duty.

Estermann shielded the Pope during assassination attempt

"He gave 18 years of faithful and precious service for which I am personally grateful to him," the Pope said.

John Paul offered his condolences to relatives of Mr Estermann and his wife. He also said he shared the suffering of the relatives of 23-year-old Mr Tornay "who now finds himself before the judgement of God, to Whose mercy I now commit him."

First murder case inside the Vatican

Monday's shooting is the first murder case inside the Vatican in living memory.

The continued existence of the 100-strong Swiss Guard - the world's smallest army - had been under threat following the failure to find a new commander.

But after a five-month search, the job went to the acting commander Mr Estermann.

The Swiss Guard has carried out its work protecting the Pope for almost 500 years.