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April 24, 2005
Don't Step on my Red Pope Shoes
Lots of discussion about the red shoes today.
Steppin' Out
The blogger at Cnytr really digs them, and has a few posts
Romanitas wonders if Benedict is undoing a change
Curt Jester just hopes he doesn't click them three times
Here's a thread at the CA forum on the previous Pope and red shoes.
Gee. That was important!
Posted by Amy Welborn | Permalink
Comments
Red and Gold?
We need to get a fashion eye for the Catholic guy crew established at the Holy See.
Posted by: Jason at Apr 24, 2005 9:24:58 PM
From the New York Times article about the Pope's vestments, when a reporter expressed surprise at the red shoes:
"The pope is king, and the king can wear whatever shoes he likes," one of the Gammarelli tailors shouted out before tucking back into a piece of fabric.
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I agree -- you wear whatever shoes you like, Pope Benedict!!
I for one think the shoes are a nice highlight to the white and gold vestments. Very natty and fashion-forward.
Posted by: benny-fan at Apr 24, 2005 10:10:30 PM
I'm thinking of that Elvis Costello song, "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes."
I love this Pope!
Posted by: Rod Dreher at Apr 24, 2005 10:17:17 PM
I suppose one could say it takes a real man to bright red shoes.
Posted by: Radactrice at Apr 24, 2005 10:21:30 PM
wear bright red shoes. Sorry.
Posted by: Radactrice at Apr 24, 2005 10:21:55 PM
I like the photos of Pope Benedict in his new shoes. Does anyone know if there is an interent site that has high quality/resolution photos of the new Pope that one could print out on the color printer?
Posted by: dave at Apr 24, 2005 10:30:00 PM
I think they are Gucci....I see a major run on Red Gucci loafers....
Posted by: ambrose at Apr 24, 2005 11:44:32 PM
Much has been made of Pope Benedict wearing the red shoes and Pope John Paul II deciding not to wear them. Well Pople John Paul II obviously wore them some time (contrary to "factual" media reports) as there is a pair of red shoes that John Paul II wore at the John Paul II center in DC (I have a photo to prove it!)
Posted by: Therese at Apr 25, 2005 12:07:53 AM
Occasionally my prelatial vesture hobby proves useful in these fora.
The Cnytr blogger misinterprets the evidence he quite intelligently cites. Traditionally the Pope had two sorts of footwear. The first is well illustrated by the red velvet slippers embroidered with a gold cross of Pius VII that are on the site. There are many pictures of Pius XII and John XXIII wearing them while they are dressed in daily 'abito piano'. I imagine they were worn for the Pope's private Low Masses as well. When the Pope celebrated pontifically he assumed at his throne the buskins and the pontifical sandals, which are not the same things as the red velevet slippers. They were liturgical footwear (the 'sandalia' or 'compagi' of the rubrics), and all prelates were supposed to wear them at Pontifical Masses, although in practice I think the custom had widely died out even before the destructive reforms after the Council. These sandals were tied with silk ribbons, and each grade of prelate had specific directions for the color and placement of the decoration. The color of the sandals themselves matched the liturgical color of the Mass, except that black was never worn.
I can't say I ever noticed what Pope Paul wore after his destructive legislation, but I imagine some change happened when he started to travel, as Popes never did, and those velvet slippers would not exactly wear well outdoors.
So the type of red shoe, clearly leather, that the late Pope in some pictures and now Papa Ratzinger are seen wearing are not in the strict sense traditional, but I think they are surely an example of organic development, when Popes are going to wear down the heel of a shoe as they never did in times past.
I think people are right who are keeping their eyes out for how the Pope appears in various contexts as they occur. Although I was not thrilled with the "Inaugural" Mass, I did notice that the height of the stairs leading to the papal throne was distinctly greater than it had been since Pope Paul threw everything out. Now if only the Holy Father would get rid of Mons. Marini cheekily sitting next to him and restore the Cardinal Deacons who for over a thousand years have attended the Pope at his Pontifical Masses, that would be a major step forward (backward actually, but you take my point).
Obviously the tiara is out of the question, and I'm not holding my breath for the return of the falda either, but will the Pope appear in Roman vestments, as he did many times when he celebrated in the old rite as a cardinal? If he does, the fanon would seem to be the natural accompaniment, and the tunicles of course, as can be seen ib the wonderful picture from Santa Cecilia of the late Pope posted on the Holy Whapping site.
But what I would like to see more than any bit of vesture I think, is a posture that was so common at various pre-Vatican II ceremonies: the Pope and the cardinals, other clergy, and laity kneeling in prayer facing the same direction. This position has tremendous power as showing the Church led by Christ's Vicar in common prayer to God. Was there ever a time in public when the late Pope did not dominate the ceremony by facing the people attending it? As I have said before, in a way the new papal ceremonies serve to exaggerate the centrality of the Pope rather than in any way diminish it.
So I will be very interested in what develops on the papal fashion scene, somewhat nervously, however, since as the Holy Father has said, his reign is not likely to be long, and the next generation of cardinals will have completely lost whatever vague memories they might have had about the traditional importance of these things. I recall reading of Pius X that after his election he expressed the desire that nothing handed down by holy tradition in the Coronation ceremony should be omitted. Dear Mons. Dante, please use all the influence you have in Heaven on these issues!
Posted by: David Kubiak at Apr 25, 2005 12:09:21 AM
A postscript to my previous comments.
I would especially hope that Pope Benedict wears the red tabarro and papal velvet hat with the gold strings that the late Holy Father used to be seen in regularly at the start of his pontificate. There is great footage of him riding in pouring down rain when he puts the hat on and pulls down the ends, giving rather the impression of a college student with a baseball cap on backwards.
The other item I would very much like to see return is the velvet mozzetta trimmed in ermine, which was worn in winter. (Pope John actually revived an old custom of a white ermine-trimmed mozzetta that had been worn in one of the Octaves. And he loved wearing the camauro, which I felt so happy that they put on him when they brought his body up for veneration by the faithful.)
Technically all fur trim has been abolished in prelatial vesture, but so has the scarlet tabarro for cardinals, which there are several pictures of Cardinal Ratzinger wearing as Archbishop of Munich.
In this instance the Holy Father should take some advice from an infamous fellow countryman: when it comes to what you wear, Your Holiness, "Pecca fortiter."
Posted by: David Kubiak at Apr 25, 2005 12:28:23 AM
I'm wearing out my welcome, but a final remark.
Something has to be done about that horrible rochet the Pope was wearing on the balcony -- although I would hardly dignify it by the name. The heavy starched linen puffed him out to the point that he looked like he was going to burst a button on his mozzetta. Lace actually serves a useful purpose in the rochet.
Posted by: David Kubiak at Apr 25, 2005 12:35:02 AM
Are you KIDDING me?
Posted by: LA Catholic at Apr 25, 2005 1:14:08 AM
I did notice that the late Pope John Paul wore white ski boots, not bright red ones.
Maybe I'm missing something, but what's the big deal about shoes? Red, white, pink, purple, orange, ribboned, tasseled, tied. Undoubtedly Jesus and the apostles wore sandals and the right color of footgear probably wasn't really high on their list of priorities. If the Pope wants to wear red shoes with diamonds on the toes, that's fine, but in the end, who care?
Posted by: Radactrice at Apr 25, 2005 1:36:58 AM
To Radactrice:
Well, obviously the iconoclasts at the Council didn't care, and unfortunately Pope Paul VI was one of them. But there is detailed evidence in this radically incarnational Church of ours that people were concerned passionately about these things as far back as the early part of the first millenium. So if we start with Constantine and proceed to Vatican II, I think that the bulk of Catholic history rather favors those of us who did and do care. I hope the new Pope turns out to be a member of our antiquarian team.
Posted by: David Kubiak at Apr 25, 2005 1:55:20 AM
There's no place like Rome (click)
There's no place like Rome (click)
There's no place like Rome (click)
Posted by: Alan K. Henderson at Apr 25, 2005 1:56:04 AM
If red shoes and ermine trim have a salvific component that I've somehow missed, then by all means bring out the red dye and shoot those little weasels. But I just don't see why the color of the pope's shoes or the fur on his velvet robes has anything to do with the Gospel message. I can't envision Jesus saying, "You are Peter and upon this rock, I will build my Church...but only as long as you are wearing red shoes."
And before anyone attacks me, I honestly don't care what color shoes the pope wears. If it makes people feel holier or more spiritual if he wears red Gucci slippers, then by all means, may he wear red Gucci slippers to the end of time.
Posted by: Radactrice at Apr 25, 2005 2:04:56 AM
Well, Radactrice, unless you're suggesting that the Pope go barefoot in all weathers (why? Jesus didn't) then it follows that he has to wear shoes, and it follows from that they have to be some color or other.
Red shoes are no holier than any other kind of shoes, but you have to admit that they look very snazzy with that outfit.
Posted by: Nancy at Apr 25, 2005 6:22:08 AM
Well, obviously the iconoclasts at the Council didn't care, and unfortunately Pope Paul VI was one of them.
Please. Iconoclasm was a heresy, and it was - and remains - a very serious danger to the faith. But this stuff about the pope's shoes has nothing to do with icons, whatever good reasons there may or may not be for a given style of footwear.
Posted by: Kevin Miller at Apr 25, 2005 6:38:15 AM
Let's try that link again.
Posted by: Kevin Miller at Apr 25, 2005 6:38:56 AM
Smile a little, Radactrice! G.K. Chesterton would be right here chatting about these things with us. Now there was a man who liked a good cloak and floppy hat. ;)
Given that very few professions today have the fun of wearing distinctive clothing, I think we are so interested in this because we don't get to wear such nifty clothes ourselves. Frex, I work in the Yellow Pages industry. How cool would it be if I got to wear a yellow hat or yellow shoes? Especially if the symbolism was 2000 years old? Or older... remember, a lot of liturgical garb comes down from the priestly Jewish side.
So, no, these are not essential matters of faith and morals. But that doesn't mean they're not interesting and beloved parts of our church's traditions. Even trivia has its place in the Kingdom and the ingenious mind of God.
Posted by: Maureen at Apr 25, 2005 7:04:10 AM
Curt Jester!!! Now that was a great laugh.
Especially the bit about Sister Joan... Ha, ha, ha and Toto Tuus.
Who says that Catholics are no fun?
Posted by: Kathleen at Apr 25, 2005 7:41:01 AM
An aside: who are those "minders" who always accompany the pope? Are they always the same ones? Are they really undercover cops heavily armed? Seriously. Who are they? What are their names? How do they get to be aides or whatever they are? Anybody know?
Posted by: WRY at Apr 25, 2005 7:49:26 AM
Dave K: Do you know of a link somewhere that would illustrate all these clothing articles with labels or pointers or something?
Posted by: WRY at Apr 25, 2005 7:50:43 AM
"Uh, Your Holiness...you'll need to sign the papers to order special polish tomorrow...."
Posted by: Gerard E. at Apr 25, 2005 7:58:10 AM
I second WRY's request. I have no idea what a rochet and mozzetta are. Call me clueless.
Posted by: carrie ryckman at Apr 25, 2005 8:00:16 AM
