Papal clothing and liturgical practices

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Benodette	Pale Gold for the Assumption at Castel Gandolfo	#1221	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5825 08/19/08 08:06:35	Vatican Pool The Pope wore a pale gold, slightly sparkling, Gothic chasuble with a summery looking mitre for the Feast of the Assumption at Castel Gandolfo. There was glittery gold lace on the sleeves of the alb in keeping with his current more glitzy look. He was wearing the peculiar cloth pallium. It does not appear to be woven like the original or like the pallia given to the Archbishops. I wonder if the fabric - whatever it is - was blessed. The original pallium given to the Pope at his installation had huge significance. This one seems to be little more than a convenient accessory. It is true that Guido Marini seemed to have a bad time managing the original and he never quite got the hang of securing it in place. © Benodette It is all over the place in this picture from the Pentecost Mass. It obviously does not sit well on the padded sleeping bag chasuble. AFP Getty The new one is clearly much less trouble. Perhaps the mosaic in St Paulo will have to be redone to depict the new pallium. Changing the pallium seems to me to be a "rupture" particularly as it was done three years into the papacy and it is, after all, an important symbol of the Petrine ministry. I still see no historical precedent for this version of the pallium - the picture posted by AspirantMonk just looks like the type worn by Papa Wojtyla but with red crosses- and it seems to be a half-way house between the long ones which appear in the mosaics in Santa Maria in Trastevere and the short one with black crosses worn by Popes in recent centuries. I can see no convincing reason for changing the pallium. It may have been more difficult to keep in place but I liked the link to the early church which the original symbolised. When it was properly in place it looked very dignified. Vatican Pool ed Benodette The altar at St Thomas Villanova was thankfully not arranged bunker-style but elegantly set with slim candlesticks offset to the side and a central crucifix. The Pope walked to the church from the papal villa wearing choir dress. Reuters Father Selvester has an explanation for this. Lots of folks, myself included, have wondered why Pope Benedict, unlike his predecessors, seems to wear choir dress so often? In particular, he is dressed this way when arriving for or departing from a celebration of the mass. It strikes many as getting awfully dressed up just to arrive. Why not simply enter wearing the familiar white simar (full length robe with half sleeves and shoulder cape attached)? Believe it or not there is a good reason for this. It isn't merely a desire for formality on the part of the Holy Father. Pope Benedict prefers to wear a simple white cassock rather than the simar under his vestments when he says mass. Pope John Paul II simply used to fold up the sides of the shoulder cape and vest for mass. However, Pope Benedict would rather do the (technically) more correct thing and wear a cassock under his mass vestments. Well, you may have guessed by now that with choir dress a prelate wears a cassock under his rochet and mozetta rather than a simar. So, by wearing choir dress to arrive for mass the Pope is simply making it easier for himself. All he need do is remove the rochet and mozetta and he's already wearing his cassock. Couldn't he simply arrive in the plain white cassock? Sure he could. But, it is not usual for the Pope to be seen in public in his cassock and it seems that Pope Benedict doesn't feel like changing that. Nevertheless, that's the reason for the frequent appearance of choir dress in this pontificate. I Ask Myself...Quid Ita?
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AspirantMonk		#1222	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 27 08/19/08 17:20:09	Benodette wrote: Vatican Pool The Pope wore a pale gold, slightly sparkling, Gothic chasuble with a summery looking mitre for the Feast of the Assumption at Castel Gandolfo. There was glittery gold lace on the sleeves of the alb in keeping with his current more glitzy look. He was wearing the peculiar cloth pallium. It does not appear to be woven like the original or like the pallia given to the Archbishops. I wonder if the fabric - whatever it is - was blessed. The original pallium given to the Pope at his installation had huge significance. This one seems to be little more than a convenient accessory. It is true that Guido Marini seemed to have a bad time managing the original and he never quite got the hang of securing it in place. It's probably wool, what else would it have been made of? Also, I've never seen Msgr. Marini have any trouble with it, other than that time at Pentecost, (admittedly that particular chasuble was pretty bad. It sat horribly on the Holy Father, and deserves to be called the pontifical sleeping bag). It is all over the place in this picture from the Pentecost Mass. It obviously does not sit well on the padded sleeping bag chasuble. The new one is clearly much less trouble. Perhaps the mosaic in St Paulo will have to be redone to depict the new pallium. Changing the pallium seems to me to be a "rupture" particularly as it was done three years into the papacy and it is, after all, an important symbol of the Petrine ministry. *Well, to some of us, the Marini I pallium seemed like a bit of a rupture with the past 1,000 years of organic development, let alone 3. And I highly doubt that his mosaic will be redone.* I still see no historical precedent for this version of the pallium - the picture posted by AspirantMonk just looks like the type worn by Papa Wojtyla but with red crosses- and it seems to be a half-way house between the long ones which appear in the mosaics in Santa Maria in Trastevere and the short one with black crosses worn by Popes in recent centuries. *I really don't either, but, it doesn't need one, it's organic development. At least, it is claimed as such by Msgr. Marini. I'm no liturgist, so I'll trust Msgr. Guido's statement.* I can see no convincing reason for changing the pallium. It may have been more difficult to keep in place but I liked the link to the early church which the original symbolised. When it was properly in place it looked very dignified. *To bring back the fanon and fiddlebacks? And it did look very elegant and dignified. So does an omophorion, but that doesn't mean it belongs on a 21st century Pope.* The altar at St Thomas Villanova was thankfully not arranged bunker-style but elegantly set with slim candlesticks offset to the side and a central crucifix. *Bunker style? lol.* The Pope walked to the church from the papal villa wearing choir dress. Father Selvester has an explanation for this. Lots of folks, myself included, have wondered why Pope Benedict, unlike his predecessors, seems to wear choir dress so often? In particular, he is dressed this way when arriving for or departing from a celebration of the mass. It strikes many as getting awfully dressed up just to arrive. Why not simply enter wearing the familiar white simar (full length robe with half sleeves and shoulder cape attached)? Believe it or not there is a good reason for this. It isn't merely a desire for formality on the part of the Holy Father. Pope Benedict prefers to wear a simple white cassock rather than the simar under his vestments when he says mass. Pope John Paul II simply used to fold up the sides of the shoulder cape and vest for mass. However, Pope Benedict would rather do the (technically) more correct thing and wear a cassock under his mass vestments. Well, you may have guessed by now that with choir dress a prelate wears a cassock under his rochet and mozetta rather than a simar. So, by wearing choir dress to arrive for mass the Pope is simply making it easier for himself. All he need do is remove the rochet and mozetta and he's already wearing his cassock. Couldn't he simply arrive in the plain white cassock? Sure he could. But, it is not usual for the Pope to be seen in public in his cassock and it seems that Pope Benedict doesn't feel like changing that. Nevertheless, that's the reason for the frequent appearance of choir dress in this pontificate. *He neglects to mention the fact that the Pope wears choir dress every single time while meeting heads of state.* Last Edited By: AspirantMonk 08/19/08 17:22:33. Edited 1 time.
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letmel		#1223	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 717 08/20/08 08:04:05	Quote Aspirant Monk #1 "I really don't either, but, it doesn't need one, it's organic development. At least, it is claimed as such by Msgr. Marini. I'm no liturgist, so I'll trust Msgr. Guido's statement." You said it "at least it is claimed by Msgr. Marini . I'm not liturgist .... Well... neither is he in MHO #2 "Bunker style? lol." Dear, you can lol until your heart is content but for many people that's exactly the style
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Benodette	Pale Gold for the Assumption at Castel Gandolfo	#1224	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5828 08/20/08 12:02:30	To bring back the fanon and fiddlebacks? And it did look very elegant and dignified. So does an omophorion, but that doesn't mean it belongs on a 21st century Pope. AspirantMonk - I do hope you realise that your position is contradictory. If the wide pallium has no place on a 21st century pope why on earth would a fanon or a fiddleback have a place? Why would that tasteless piece of grandiose Victoriana which is the Leo XIII throne be acceptable as a papal seat, and why would he carry that graceless brassy staff? Organic development - this sounds like a horticultural term. So it is "development" to design a new pallium which bears no resemblance to the one the Pope was vested with at his installation and to casually replace it? Moreover that pallium was presumably made from the wool of lambs blessed by Papa Wojtyla on his last St Agnes Day - so continuity with the previous papacy is in evidence there. What was this latest one made from? It is not woven like the original but sewn - you can see the seams. And if it is made from the wool of this years St Agnes lambs the Pope must have blessed them himself, which is rather an odd situation. How does a fanon and a Roman chasuble count as development - organic or otherwise? Surely revival is what you are in favour of. Or does it just it depend on which item of clothing you are defending? Continuity and development seem to be moving targets for Baroquistas. I think they are kidding themselves. The object seems to be to revert to the monarchical style of the High Baroque and to freeze the frame there like an antiquated stage set. All this talk of continuity and organic development is just cant. AP If I could replace just one item it would be that awful garish Pius IX staff. Permanently replacing the Montini/Wojtyla staff with that object is another example of rupture rather than continuity. Surely nobody can claim it has any artistic merit. What appeals to some is the message which it conveys - Vatican II and after = Bad News! Pre-Vatican II = Great News! Development would be to commission a staff specifically for this Pope. He is a great one, and he should have something significant made for him which future Popes can use and treasure. AspirantMonk with regard to "pulling out all the stops" - the trouble with pulling out too many stops is that you have a loud cacophony of sound with no refinement. For richness and decoration to be beautiful rather than just obviously ostentatious one has to be a little more judicious and restrained in piling on the glitz.
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mag6nideum		#1225	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1485 08/20/08 16:01:53	Has anyone here seen Fellini's film "Roma" ? I watched the DVD for the first time some days ago. Remember the ecclesial fashion parade that took place in the palace of the contessa? Quite amazing in terms of visual imagination. The line to the bizarre and fantastic was crossed to make certain, not too subtle, points. Everything culminates in a spectacular vision of the Pope (who looked suspiciously like Pius XII) in magnificent splendour on a near heavenly throne that was revealed in an almost Assumption-like manner to the audience who, with rapturous faces, kneeled in front of this breathtaking apparition. Fortunately nothing we have seen thus far from Marini II can compete with Fellini's fantasy, but for the first time I could understand why someone like Benodette seems a bit worried about aspects of the "new" direction taken by Marini II/Benedict.
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rcesq	Palliums again	#1226	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1713 08/20/08 16:39:31 Moderator	The first symbol is the Pallium, woven in pure wool, which will be placed on my shoulders. This ancient sign, which the Bishops of Rome have worn since the fourth century, may be considered an image of the yoke of Christ, which the Bishop of this City, the Servant of the Servants of God, takes upon his shoulders. God's yoke is God's will, which we accept. This is what Pope Benedict had to say in his inaugural homily about the pallium. The new one he is wearing now resembles a yoke far more than the swishy Isadora Duncan like over the shoulder knee-length scarf he had thrown around his neck for the first three years. I thought it was a real hazard whenever he had to climb up some steps and it can't have been comfortable all the time when sitting down. As for the long pallium's supposed symbolic significance to the oriental churches, that was not something the Pope commented on himself in his homily. If that idea were so important, my guess is that he would have pointed it out. Instead, the oriental church connection was made by some other cleric -- from the Roman rite as I recall. Besides being more yoke-like, this version of the pallium is also closer to what the archbishops get to wear. In that sense it seems more collegial than the utterly distinctive long pallium which definitely set the pope far apart from his brother bishops. Judging from the photographs we've seen, it appears that the new short pallium is made in the same way that the archbishops' pallia are made: the pendents hanging front and back are sewn onto the part that goes around the neck. The long strip of cloth of the prior version seems to have been an innovation (or a harking back to origins not seen in hundreds of years). I must say, though, that I do think that the other vestments that some are longing to see such as the fanon might take some getting used to, but with time people can get used to many things -- or they're simply told to get over their objections because that's the way things are going to be from now on. Again, I do wonder at those who are peeved at the change in a single item or two of vesture because it was there "from the beginning of this papacy" "three whole years ago" but cannot find it in themselves to accept the position of those who are still upset at the entire makeover in liturgical vestments and practices that had existed for centuries prior to Vatican II. Calling a legitimate desire to revive that part of church history "cant" seems rather harsh and uncalled for. By the way, whatever one might feel about the Paul VI papal staff, artistic merit isn't high on the list. It's as crude an object and as ugly in its way as the horrendous sculptural wall in the Pope Paul VI auditorium. Photo: Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi Incidentally, I have seen the bits from Fellini's Roma that show the ecclesiastical fashions and think that it's very far fetched indeed to believe that Monsignor Guido Marini and this Pope have anything like that decadent display in mind. I guess my problem is that I don't really get where the critics are drawing the line. Why is the Victorian Leo XIII throne bad, but a 21st century man wearing a white dress covered with a golden embroidered poncho topped with a funny embroidered hat and carrying any kind of tall cane in public is good? Both are gross anachronisms. It's just a matter of picking which you like or don't. Last Edited By: rcesq 08/20/08 16:56:04. Edited 3 times.
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mag6nideum	Some assurance for animal lovers asked	#1227	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1489 08/21/08 04:38:52	An editorial from Davenport diocese Editorial: Summer silliness By Frank Wessling It's Iowa and it may be heaven. At least the weather so far this August has felt heavenly on most days, especially when compared with our usual heat and humidity [...] People elsewhere around Earth's northern middle belt are experiencing more of the usual August conditions: heat and more heat. As often happens, this causes some interesting behavior. Around Rome, Italy, people who can manage it get out of town, either to the sea breezes of a coastal resort or north to cooler high ground, as Pope Benedict XVI does. Folks who must stay home and suffer, often entertain themselves by channeling their heat into odd campaigns of irritation about some Catholic thing. (Most Italians are Catholic, but their closeness to the center of the church's history makes them feel like owners with special rights to complain.) The irritation this year is over fur, more specifically, ermine, the white winter fur of the stoat, a member of the weasel family common across Europe. Centuries ago, kings and other royalty began trimming their crowns, hats and robes with that weasel fur, a practice followed by "princes" of the church, as well. Recent popes discarded much of the medieval pomp and circumstance that had grown onto the papacy, like ermine-fringed caps, but Benedict has no fear of appearing old fashioned - or Santa-Clausy. He wore the fur-trimmed hat and a cape similarly trimmed when greeting pilgrims at Christmas time in 2005, to the delight of photographers. And he regularly wears them in the winter. This summer, though, animal rights people had had enough [...] [The editorial ends as follows:] In respect for the animal rights militants, they deserve some assurance that the stoats giving their all for the pope are at least treated well. If ermine is to remain on the papal wardrobe, we want it to be a gift of happy weasels. The entire piece here: http://home.catholicweb.c...m?id=240746&From=Home
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Benodette	Fur and the Pallium	#1228	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5835 08/21/08 08:03:09	Thanks for the article Mag. In respect for the animal rights militants, they deserve some assurance that the stoats giving their all for the pope are at least treated well. If ermine is to remain on the papal wardrobe, we want it to be a gift of happy weasels Why must people who ask for cruelty to animals to be considered be labelled as "militants?" The majority are not militants. They are perfectly sensible people who think beyond their "bella figura" and their dinner plates. I suspect they are labelled militants because people are acutely uncomfortable when faced with the realities behind fur and food production and they would much rather not think about it. Labelling those who remind them of the realities as militants or activists is a convenient way of sidelining the issue. Stoats are wild animals. Caging or trapping them causes them acute distress. Gassing them, anally electrocuting them or clubbing them to death is hardly going to result in a "gift of happy weasels." Get real. It is barbaric, and if people are happy to support it in order to see snowy white fur on the Pope's mozzetta then I suppose that is their privilege. I would rather not see the Holy Father encouraging pointless and needless suffering to a living creature, albeit passively. The pallium - Rcesq do you think there was any special significance attached to the pallium the Pope was vested with at his installation? Do you remember seeing it on the altar along with the ring? Do you recall that Papa Wojtyla blessed the lambs for the pallia on St Agnes Day 2005? Alessandra Benedetti Wool from those lambs would have been in the Pope's pallium. Does that matter? It isn't a question of how long the Pope has been wearing it. It is the abrupt way that it was so casually replaced as if it was no more than an inconvenient headscarf. Alessadro Bianchi Either these things have significance or they do not. If they do then Baroquistas can't crow about continuity one moment and then leap about with joy when a papal pallium is replaced like a worn out accessory. The same is true of the staff. I accept many people may not like the Paul VI staff as art - although it was created by a respected artist - but it was used by three popes in succession. Now it has permanently departed the scene for something which suits the more flamboyant style of the current MC. Revival is not the same as organic development. So which is it - development and continuity - or leapfrogging backwards? That is what I mean by cant - the hot air used to justify dragging graceless grandiose furniture from the backrooms and mothy umbrellas from the attic. As for getting used to things - well it seems to me that the trads have been stamping their feet and whining for more than forty years. They never got used to things did they?
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AspirantMonk		#1229	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 28 08/21/08 16:36:48	Benodette wrote: Thanks for the article Mag. The pallium - Rcesq do you think there was any special significance attached to the pallium the Pope was vested with at his installation? Do you remember seeing it on the altar along with the ring? Do you recall that Papa Wojtyla blessed the lambs for the pallia on St Agnes Day 2005? Alessandra Benedetti Wool from those lambs would have been in the Pope's pallium. Does that matter? It isn't a question of how long the Pope has been wearing it. It is the abrupt way that it was so casually replaced as if it was no more than an inconvenient headscarf. Alessadro Bianchi Either these things have significance or they do not. If they do then Baroquistas can't crow about continuity one moment and then leap about with joy when a papal pallium is replaced like a worn out accessory. The same is true of the staff. I accept many people may not like the Paul VI staff as art - although it was created by a respected artist - but it was used by three popes in succession. Now it has permanently departed the scene for something which suits the more flamboyant style of the current MC. Okay, this is the only thing I want to ask. Why do you think that it's the current MC's taste? More likely than not, it was the Holy Father who had the staff and pallium switched. The Holy Father picked his current MC, and I highly doubt that the Pope would have calmly stood by and let the staff and pallium be switched on the whim of Msgr. Marini if they were so important. Revival is not the same as organic development. So which is it - development and continuity - or leapfrogging backwards? That is what I mean by cant - the hot air used to justify dragging graceless grandiose furniture from the backrooms and mothy umbrellas from the attic. As for getting used to things - well it seems to me that the trads have been stamping their feet and whining for more than forty years. They never got used to things did they?
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Unicorn		#1230	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1411 08/22/08 01:29:49	Okay, this is the only thing I want to ask. Why do you think that it's the current MC's taste? More likely than not, it was the Holy Father who had the staff and pallium switched. The Holy Father picked his current MC, and I highly doubt that the Pope would have calmly stood by and let the staff and pallium be switched on the whim of Msgr. Marini if they were so important. AspirantMonk, the question of just how significantly the Pope contributed to the design of his pallium has already been discussed previously. However, I shall speak once again on this issue. If one is to argue that the present pallium is the personal choice of Benedict XVI, should we then presume that the first pallium was not? Should we presume that he "suffered" Arch. Marini's choice of pallium for almost three years, when he had every right to ask the Archbishop to change the design? Should we presume that Arch. Marini gave him no choice in the matter, and that the Pope "calmly stood by" and let Arch. Marini have his way? It is a matter of public record that Arch. Marini presented the design of the first Papal pallium to the newly-elected Benedict XVI at least three days prior to his installation Mass. If the Pope did not approve of it, he could have said so, and there is no reason to presume that Arch. Marini would ignore the Pope's wishes. Once again, I must emphasize that Piero Marini acted as Joseph Ratzinger's Master of Ceremonies for at least 20 years prior to his election as Benedict XVI. It stands to reason that they had a relationship that was amiable and harmonious enough that Piero Marini would not foist anything on Joseph Ratzinger. Proud to be Papist! "Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved ..." - Benedict XVI "He knocks at the door, he is close to us and thus true joy is close, which is stronger than all the sorrows in the world, and in our life." - Benedict XVI
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Benodette	Who dresses the Pope?	#1231	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5845 08/22/08 07:32:31	AspirantMonk - as Unicorn has pointed out we have discussed this question before. It is odd, isn't it, that when the Pope wore that awful paint-spattered chasuble at Mariazell it was all Archbishop Marini's fault? When the Pope wore hopsack mitres or jello-coloured chasubles it was all the MC's fault. The Pope was passive, like an ecclesiastical Barbie doll, patiently putting on whatever horror confronted him in the sacristy. He was, in this scenario, completely under the thumb of the wicked Archbishop. Now, along comes Guido Marini who dresses the Pope in huge jewelled mitres and acres of lace. Every hem, every sleeve, every item of liturgical dress is as decorated and glittery as it can be. But this is not the work of the MC. Oh no - this is the Pope, dressing at last as he has always longed to dress, and the MC is just his wardrobe mistress (master). At last he gets to carry a shiny staff instead of that defeatist crucified Christ. At last he sits on a throne worthy of his exalted status as an absolute monarch. At last he gets a pallium which he approves of. Perhaps that is what you think, or would like to think, but do honestly believe it is very likely? I think the Pope and the MC agree broad parameters and the MC works within them. I don't think the Pope goes through the sacristy drawers and wardrobes to select items for every liturgical event or that he chooses fabrics for new chasubles. All those details are the province of the MC. That is his job. Guido Marini came from Genoa - no doubt at the recommendation of Cardinal Bertone - and Genoa has a tradition of having an elaborate liturgical style. Guido Marini may well have told the Pope that he would like to take a different and more traditional approach. Any new MC will have his own style. He would have advised the Holy Father on things like the palllium and the staff. I think the Pope goes along with these things rather than initiates them. If the pallium and the staff bothered him at the outset he would not have tolerated them for so long. The Pius IX staff was always there in the sacristy. If he wanted it he had only to say so. If he disliked the original pallium and thought it was inappropriately archaic he would have said so. At the beginning of his papacy he had the opportunity to make whatever changes he wished and to set the new standard. Surely his installation iliturgy is the service he is least likely to have delegated completely to an MC. You have only to look at the vestments Joseph Ratzinger wore during his many years of ministry before his election to see that he is not fanatically devoted to flamboyant traditional vestments. On a handful of occasions he has been photographed in a Roman chasuble - he owns a beautiful gold and white Roman chasuble - but on the whole he has worn gothic chasubles over linen albs and mitres of modest size. In his private chapel he wears gothic over linen. I am not claiming that he dislikes or likes what he is wearing now. His focus is on the Mass and not so much on the details of his clothing - except when he trips over his hems or is swaddled in a sleeping bag in a Roman heat wave. After all, physical discomfort is not a great aid to concentration. For the most part he seems as stoical as a fashion model wearing a bikini in mid-winter. I don't think he wastes energy on these details he leaves them up to the MC.
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Benodette	A snowy white briefcase for the Pope	#1232	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5862 08/26/08 07:35:00	A German firm, DPH - Dieter Philippi, has made a snow white silk and leather briefcase for the Pope. At the last Bishop's conference he was still using his battered old briefcase which he is probably rather attached to. It will be interesting to see if he switches to pristine white in October for the Synod DPH The website shows a picture of Cardinal Ratzinger carrying an unusual briefcase - black with red silk trim. This firm also offers Cardinal Red briefcases and suggest they are suitable gifts for your favourite cardinal. They would certainly stand out in a crowd and I suppose you would not have to be a cardinal to own one. How about this for carrying your case notes Rcesq?
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Unicorn	The Shoemaker of the Fisherman	#1233	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1415 08/27/08 22:10:22	Benodette, that is a rather snazzy red briefcase! However, I guess I'm a bit conservative -- I rather prefer that black briefcase with the subtle red trim Il Papa had in his hand in that second photo. The white one is certainly an immaculate creation, but I shudder to think of it being scratched! Well, let's go from one leather item to another, this time Il Papa's shoes. Adkronos had a couple of interesting articles about Signor Adriano Stefanelli, who makes the Pope's shoes. I suppose now, certain individuals in the media will finally stop claiming that "the Pope wears Prada"! I've attempted translations from the original Italian text, and I hope everyone enjoys these articles. I apologize in advance for any errors. The shoes of the Fisherman ... Il Papa in the red Stefanelli shoes, as he arrived at the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington DC, for the Inter-Religious Gathering. (AFP / Getty) The Pope: The Shoemaker of Benedict XVI, Makes Shoes for the Pope in his spare time From Adkronos "I made two pairs of shoes for the Pope in my spare time. A red pair, the Pope's preferred color, and a white one, upon the advice of a cardinal I met in Rome some months ago." Adriano Stefanelli affirms it, the Novarese craftsman who made by hand the shoes used by Benedict XVI. Last year, the Pope was described in the US magazine "Esquire" as "The Accesorizer of the Year", that is, the best-dressed man of the year precisely because of his accessory, the red shoes. "The style is always the same," - Stefanelli continues - "just like the leather used. But the new shoes have a practical, anti-slide rubber sole, and further, thanks to the shoelaces and some aesthetic coquetry, they are very stylish and sporty. Now the Pope will be able to wear comfortable, hand-made shoes even in his free time." The shoes were delivered directly to Bressanone before Ferragosto, and in this way the Holy Father was already able to wear them during his summer vacation. "Benedict XVI," - Stefanelli recalls - "never stopped wearing my shoes, during his last trips to America and Australia. It is a sign that they are comfortable and that they meet his needs. For me, this is a great fulfillment." After the recent visit of the Pope to the United States, Stefanelli received a new commission: a pair of shoes identical to those of the Pope, but in the color black. "The shoes are for George Bush," - says the shoemaker - "he saw that the Pope's shoes made a splash." Finally, Stefanelli admits that "the shoes are a gift from a very important and very well-known person. I can't say more." Stefanelli is the man who also makes shoes for Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, the Russian Patriarch Alessio II, Nobel Peace Price laureate Lech Walesa, former CONFINDUSTRIA (Confederazione Generale dell'Industria Italiana) president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, and lastly Silvio Berlusconi. An earlier -- and rather more worn -- pair, in dark brown leather, which Il Papa wore during his visit to the Heiligenkreuz Abbey Stiftskirche in Heiligenkreuz September 9, 2007. I wonder if they are also Stefanelli shoes. (Reuters) And now, the red ones are back. Here, Il Papa is putting his shoes back on, with some help from Msgr. Guido Marini (I think), apparently after having reverenced the Crucifix, during the celebration of Our Lord's Passion on Good Friday, 12 March 2008. The black elastic band mentioned by Signor Stefanelli can be seen quite clearly. (Reuters) Ratzinger's shoemaker: "I was really moved to see him wear them during his visit to America. Since 2003, the Popes wore my creations" From Adkronos "I was very moved to see that the Pope wore my new shoes, during his visit to America. In the photos published in the newspapers and Internet, the shoes look very good. They have black elastic and the red profile in "caneté" (Translator's note: my apologies to everyone, I could not seem to find a translation for this word!) fabric. There's no mistake." So said the Novarese craftsman Adriano Stefanelli, shoemaker to the Pope since 2003. "They write to me from Germany, from Switzerland, even from the United States," - says Stefanelli - "they would like a pair of shoes like those of the Holy Father, but how can I accommodate everyone? Besides, I work for pleasure, I am a shopkeeper and I make shoes in my free time." Everything began in 2003 when Stefanelli, watching the Via Crucis on TV, saw the sick and suffering John Paul II. Then, he explained, moved by emotion, he felt he had to do something to alleviate the Pope's suffering. "I followed my instinct," - the Papal shoemaker says - "putting to use what my father taught me, I made him [John Paul II] a pair of slippers in soft red leather. And it is in this way that the Popes began to wear my work." "Upon the death of John Paul II," - Stefanelli added - "His Holiness' private secretary asked me if I wanted to continue making shoes also for Benedict XVI. Obviously, I agreed enthusiastically, it meant that my work was much appreciated." Stefanelli, who continues to make shoes in his free time, delivered the new shoes to the Pope last February 20th. Aside from the traditional shoes, the craftsman made a pair with initials in bright red, almost burgundy color. A surprise that "the Pope especially liked," - Stefanelli said - "he wanted to look at them again and again, he held them many times, he thanked me and he was visibly happy. Although obviously, during his visit to America he wore the traditional shoes, those without the initials, they are certainly more sober and essentially, like the style of the Popes." The next commitment, Stefanelli lets us know, is in Santa Maria di Leuca, in the province of Lecce, where a noted hotel chain has decided to exhibit the shoes of the papal shoemaker I the halls of their hotel. Stefanelli lives and works in Novarese, but was born in Tuglie, in the Leccese, and spent his early years learning the craft of his father. Now he makes shoes for the VIPs, but for the Pope, Stefanelli prefers to give them as gifts. And now, the Stefanelli pair have made it to Sydney; here we see them peeking out from beneath Il Papa's white cassock and lace-trimmed alb, during the Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral celebrated on 19 July 2008. Note the shadows made by the lace on Il Papa's hem. (AFP / Getty) On a personal note, I wish to say "Grazie mille, gentile signore!" to Signor Stefanelli, for having made that pair of slippers for John Paul the Beloved. Methinks that even in heaven, Papa Wojtyla still remembers his very comfortable slippers! Proud to be Papist! "Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved ..." - Benedict XVI "He knocks at the door, he is close to us and thus true joy is close, which is stronger than all the sorrows in the world, and in our life." - Benedict XVI
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rcesq		#1234	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1726 08/28/08 01:00:51 Moderator	Thank you Unicorn, for your translation of the stories about Signor Stefanelli and the papal shoes. On his website he displays a number of the ones he has created, including the first for Pope John Paul II: The website shows him meeting Papa Wojtyla: And JPII wearing Stefanelli's shoes: Here's a photo of Signor Stefanelli presenting a pair to Pope Benedict XVI: If you click through all the photos, you'll see that his shop isn't exactly reluctant to display the papal connection. How much do these handmade shoes cost? Around $400 Euro. Not the most expensive shoes you can find, but certainly far more than most people spend. Although some of the shoes on display look quite feminine (see the ones in fabric), it seems that he makes only shoes for men.
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Alagorus		#1235	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 6 08/28/08 04:31:22	Unicorn wrote: "I made two pairs of shoes for the Pope in my spare time. A red pair, the Pope's preferred color, and a white one, upon the advice of a cardinal I met in Rome some months ago." Is it that?
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Benodette	The Shoemaker of the Fisherman	#1236	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 5870 08/28/08 06:39:27	Thanks for the translation Unicorn and thanks Rcesq for finding the website of this very dapper cobbler. I wonder about his target consumer - is it the fashionistas of Milan, rich clergy and high profile politicians? Those coloured brocade shoes are certainly high camp. And what kind of guy would get out of his Ferrari sporting these? Flamboyant footballers perhaps or, more likely, guys who don't actually own a Ferrari. Stefanelli does make some classic plain shoes suitable for everyday wear. The extravagant designs are probably there to raise his profile - rather like couture dresses are loss leaders for the ready-to-wear designs in the fashion business. He also seems to make some shoes for the theatre. Rcesq I think these shoes would cost rather more than 400 Euro if the Pope had to pay for them. However, I don't think the Vatican does have to pay, or at least not the full value. The shoes were donated to the Pope as a gift. The picture and press coverage are worth a great deal for publicity and commercial promotion. Designers fall over themselves to give high profile stars free dresses and shoes on Oscar night and they don't do so out of love and kindness. Celebrity endorsement - and the Pope is certainly a celebrity - is priceless. Alagorus I think those slippers are labelled as having been made for Papa Wojtyla and they are now in a museum in Poland. I doubt if they ever made it onto the masculine foot of Papa Wojtyla. He was much happier in hiking boots. The shoes presented to both popes look elegant and comfortable - much nicer than Prada. And Rcesq, he does make shoes for ladies. Perhaps a shopping trip to Novara should on the travel agenda.
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rcesq		#1237	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1727 08/28/08 22:30:28 Moderator	Benodette: I hadn't noticed the shoes in the display window. The ones for ladies seem a bit more subdued than the creations Mr. Stefanelli has put up on his website for clergy and other male peacocks. Here's the pair of football boots for Cardinal Bertone: Photo: Dieter Philippi blog Dieter Philippi has an extensive collection of papal shoes on display in his blog. Here's a great shot of the distinctive walking shoes the Pope wore last year in Lorenzago: This is a cute shot of the equally distinctive backs of the shoes: I wonder what the Pope is looking at while standing on tippy toe. Signor Stefanelli again, displaying a pair of slippers he made for Pope Benedict to wear around his apartment. They do look nice and soft and comfy. Here are the ones with the initials that Unicorn described in her story. Remember the kangaroo leather shoes Pope Benedict received last year when he went to Vigevano in northern Italy on his way to Pavia? Dieter Philippi has this photograph of those: Those were made by the Atelier Moreschi. Next. . . Sturdy brown loafers made for Pope John Paul II by Stanisław Żmija from Stanisław Dolny, a tiny village near Wadowice, where Karol Wojtyla was born. And now for something completely different, shoes worn by Pope Pius XII: They are absolutely gorgeous -- I'd buy them in a jiffy and then try to figure out where to wear them! Finally, a truly historic pair belonging to Saint Pope Pius X: Photo: Bata Museum in Toronto Here's a video of an interview with Signor Stefanelli, in which the interviewer discloses that the red shoes for the Pope cost around 400 Euros, but that they are, as Benodette explains, given as gifts to the Pope. It's obvious that Stefanelli gets lots of mileage from his generosity. (Incidentally, is that a Hermes bag knock off in picture of the display window that you posted, Benodette or does he sell other brands of shoes than his own?) http://www.catholic.org/video/?v=782
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Unicorn	The Shoes of the Fisherman	#1238	[url]	[-]


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