Yuku free message boards

Hello Linda! Welcome, if you are a new member!
I speculate a lot about clerical clothes - I've finally sorted out the difference between colours worn by a cardinal and an archbishop. There are also different clothes for cardinals depending on the occasion - sometimes a cardinal is clothed entirely in red and has that shaped hat, plus a lacy surplice. Other times he'll wear a black cassock with red piping and a red skull cap.
Now - as for our Papa! If you look at one or two of the recent photos which have been posted on our photo thread you may see that he seems to be wearing what look like "long johns" under the cassock. However, these are usually only worn in cold weather - at least in the UK. If he were wearing trousers under the cassock he'd be terribly hot in the Italian summer.
When Papa went to Les Combes I was hoping for some photos of him in "civilian" clothes - a blue shirt [he liked blue shirts, if you see some earlier photos of him on holiday] or a white shirt, black tie, black sweater + jacket and dark trousers. The red shoes would have been replaced by black ones.
However, he kept to his white cassock the whole time. He did wear that super white quilted jacket when he went on excursions to higher altitudes - and he wore the white baseball cap, which caused quite a stir.
He also changed his red shoes for stout, brown walking boots.
I , too, wonder what he wears in his leisure time at the Vatican, when he knows he's not going to have visitors. He just cannot keep that white cassock and cape on all the time - surely!!!!!! The whole outfit doesn't look particularly comfortable and certainly not cool [by which I mean literally cool - not "with it" cool ]
---------------------------------------------------
For some official occasions Papa wears a lovely crimson cape. Why is this?
He also has at least two pectoral crosses: one is gold and one is gold with emeralds. Does anyone know if these belong to him? Someone wrote on another thread that JPII's cross was completely different.

Eagerly awaiting replies!
Choy and Love from Mary x

Dear Unicorn, Budwud and Sara Virginia - thank you for all this information and the link. We know that Papa is traditional and likes to do things "by the book", so he'll always wear the right clothes for the occasion. In a way, I'm not surprised that we failed to see him in anything other than the white cassock when he was on holiday. We were lucky to see the quilted jacket and baseball cap [ I didn't read that this cap caused a stir - where was that? I thought he looked good in it].

The day he left D'Aosta and was at the airport, greeting the little crowd, his white skull cap blew off. He didn't bother to try to put it back on and lil Georg held it all the time, even when they got aboard the plane. It was wonderful to see Papa's white hair - a rare glimpse, because the only times we see him bare-headed are during parts of the Mass.

Hey, Linda, you realise you've hit a forum where we are all longing to just see Papa - let alone meet him! So, you really will have to tell us the details of your meetings with him!!!!!!

I do hope we can find out more about those pectoral crosses. I am sure they have spiritual meaning for Papa. As for me, I now have a Saint Benedict crucifix, which I wear on a leather thong - only for Mass, though. It's not a large crucifix, but I'm rather aware of it if I'm just shopping, especially as I also wear my small gold crucifix. I'd like a cross with green stones like the one Papa has - but definitely not as large!

Love to all and thanks again!
Mary x