There was nothing else on the News yesterday here in Italy but the Canonization of the last 2 popes, John XXIII and John Paul II.
We keep up all our elaborate rituals for reasons that are possibly unclear even to the Faithful, are they not the Followers of Christ?
I don’t know how we have gone from the words of Christ to what we saw yesterday, an elaborate display of a ceremony meant to put the spotlight on the Vatican once the last Pope has regained some popularity, they are actually building up notoriety for themselves, apparently 2 billion followers are not enough and no one should sit on their Laurels.
So what we saw was a questionable proclamation of Sainthood of 2 human beings – if this is questionable, nothing like the teachings of Christ at all, why are we not questioning it?
Why don’t we question the fact that we have a State, a Head of State that participates and influences worldly affairs that is claiming to have the power to sanctify 2 dead people based on a script they themselves wrote to prove the sainthood of whoever they decide to elect to a Special State, even in Death?
On a side note, the influx of tourist and of Money into the till of the Vatican has been the best we have seen in years, they have to outdo themselves now to attract crowds but hei, when ever have we had 2 Popes and 2 Saints up for grabs on the same day?
So, as representatives of Christ on Earth, having fully understood, digested and then poopooed on his message of Equality and Oneness, they instead went for appearance vs substance, here an example of a few articles you would see in the papal closet:
The cassock, also known as a soutane, comes in various styles. It serves as an undergarment for vestments. Pope Innocent V, the first Dominican pope, was credited with popularizing the white cassock in 1276.
A tall folded cap with a top deeply cleft crosswise and the outline of the front and back resembling that of a pointed arch is the official headdress worn by popes and bishops as a symbol of priestly authority. Benedict would usually wear taller and more colorful miters compared to John Paul II. According to ABC News, “miters come in several styles: simplex or simple, made of white linen or silk, pretiosa or precious, adorned in precious stones; and auriphrygiata or gold, made of gold cloth or white cloth with a gold fringe usually worn during celebrations.”
A chasuble is a sleeveless outer vestment that is put on during liturgical services. It’s a bell-shaped full garment reaching over the feet, which symbolizes the virtue of charity, and the yoke of unselfish service for the Lord.
The pope wears a pallium over a chasuble when celebrating Mass or on other special occasions. It is a long circular band of fabric, usually in wool around two inches wide that covers the pope’s shoulders and extends down the length of his body. Benedict introduced a special pallium — worn only by a pope during his inauguration — in 2005. It is wider and longer than ordinary and has red crosses distributed around it, which represents the blood of Christ. It is kept in place by three golden pins symbolizing the nails that crucified Christ.
A short cape-shaped garment covering the shoulders and reaching only to the elbow with an open front fastened with a row of small buttons, similar to a hood, is called a mozzetta. The pope wears five versions: a summer one in red satin; the red velvet with white ermine fringe for winter; the red serge mozzetta worn during Masses for the deceased; the red clothed version worn during Lenten and Advent season; and the white damask silk trimmed with white fur Paschal mozzetta. Benedict reintroduced the winter and the Paschal mozzetta after John Paul II discontinued its use.
The cappa, meaning choir cape, is a long liturgical mantle, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. Sometimes it has a hood.
Pope Paul V (1605-1621) had a unique, elaborate papal style that inspired many. Benedict XVI’s 2008 Ash Wednesday purple brocade robe with gold thread embroidery was referenced from one of Paul V’s intricate cloaks.
Reminiscent of a Santa hat, the camauro, a red-velvet cap trimmed with white ermine, is worn only in winter instead of the standard skullcap worn by bishops and cardinals. The cap is reserved only for the pope. Benedict resurrected this vestment from the papal wardrobe, which has been in tradition since the 12th century. Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) was the last to wear this medieval papal head covering before its revival.
Other papal headgear includes a white silk skullcap or zucchetto, which the pope always wears. Reminiscent of the ringed planet Saturn, the saturno is a hat with a wide circular brim and rounded crown worn outdoors. Made either of beaver fur or felt, it serves no ceremonial purpose. It was John Paul II’s favorite.
The most regal of all ornamental headpieces is the papal tiara, a tall, cone-shaped crown decorated with jewels. Pope Clement V (1305-1314) was one of the first to wear a papal tiara. He also introduced the three-tiered style, the triregnum, according to Herbert Norris, author of Church Vestments: Their Origin & Development. It has many symbolic interpretations and is traditionally used for coronation ceremonies. This elaborately bejeweled papal accessory can weigh as much as 10 pounds. No pope since Paul VI has been crowned with it.
Historically, the popes wear red shoes. Traditionally, the red shoes are festooned with a large gold cross or gold buckle. All successive popes except John Paul II wore red shoes.
In the decades since the second Vatican Council ended in 1962, the popes have considerably dressed-down, abandoning the more formal regalia their forefathers customarily wore.
No other men aside from those in the world of rap bling can get away with red slippers, vintage jewels and fur-trimmed capes. No matter what, there will always be a fascination with papal fashion choices.
This is the cost to clothe just one man, one may say he is a Head of State but he is not milking that point, he is milking His Spiritual Power on Earth to live like a King.
Granted, Pope Francis as they say ‘No Longer wears Prada’, he has given up the little red hand-made shoes and the ermine fur because he wanted to get closer to the people, but just in image, not in likeness, he still has a great home, access to everything he wants, plenty of clothes, food, water, travel, the best education one can get since he has the Vatican Archives at his feet, so, can we rejoice when he tells others to stop their Greed and stop putting Profit over Life?
It’s a bit like what each one of us does, we blame always the ones outside but never take responsibility for our own greed, for our own selfishness, for our own unwillingness to walk the change we need to become to create a world that works for all it’s quite a Vatican-ish behavior – do as I say don’t do as I do.
The solution is not in the iron cross vs the golden cross, the solution is the getting OFF the cross for everyone.
We have a proposal, it’s as close as it can be to the message of Jesus, it’s to give a Life to All, to recognize to All the Right to live a dignified life, not in the comical attempt to ‘represent’ the ideal of equality and justice but as a Solution to give Equality and Justice as in Equal Rights to Life to All Human Beings, check it out, it’s called a #LivingIncomeGuaranteed, no Saints, no Masters, No Popes or Kings required, just the will of each one of us to realign to a Life Worth Living for All.
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