Thanks to regular reader David for pointing to this story.
Well-known conservative Roman Catholic internet presence Fr John Zuhlsdorf (Fr Z) was watching the Televised broadcast of the Pope in Westminster Abbey when he just about sprayed his coffee on the screen when the commentator mentioned the stole the Pope was wearing.
The Pope’s stole was specially made for Pope Pope Leo XIII.
Pope Leo XIII is well known amongst Anglicans and Roman Catholics for Apostolicae Curae – the document that declared Anglican orders null and void.
Like others (here, here, and here), I don’t think the Pope went to his wardrobe and just reached for the first stole to hand or even the one that looked most attractive that day.
Let’s also not forget that the Pope considers himself the successor of St Peter – to whom Westminster Abbey is dedicated. And, of course, Newman was re-ordained (or for RCs ordained for the first time), and allowed himself to be (re)ordained, before Apostolicae Curae was published.
But in fact, according to this article, Newman was made a Cardinal by Leo XIII.
Those of us who've been watching Papa Ratzi warily for several years now are very aware of the extent of his tone-deafness - but I think the idea that he grabbed the Leo stole to "rub Anglican noses in it" is going a bit far, even for him.
The real question is: why in the world was he wearing a stole for Evensong?
6 comments:
I believe the Pope always wears a stole.
What's outrageous is Fr Z's blog's ending. After declaring that the Pope wore the stole to show the Anglicans the error of our ways, he writes, "Benedict XVI is the Pope of Christian Unity."
Here's a source on the Pope's use of the stole:
http://books.google.com/books?id=lGSOHM9q3lcC&pg=PA336&lpg=PA336&dq=pope+always+wears+a+stole&source=bl&ots=pwhgTC1-az&sig=ZM3C0x8-k8cPJ85uYWp6Dh6mV5k&hl=es&ei=Uf-lTMbiPJHEsAOFsYH-Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=pope%20always%20wears%20a%20stole&f=false
Actually, apparently even that can be explained. Leo XIII was (believe it or not!) apparently the first modern Pope to emphasize "Christian unity" as an ideal.
Here's a quote from "ecumenism.net" along those lines:
"The eventual institution of the Week of Prayer derives from a recommendation from the Lambeth Conference in 1878 for "the observance of a special season for [prayer for reunion] round about Ascension Day." A particular date was chosen for this observance by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1894. It was observed by the Church of England on Whit Sunday - Pentecost - in both 1894 and 1895. In 1895, the Roman Catholic Church in England joined their Anglican neighbours in this observance in obedience to the request of Pope Leo XIII. Leo XIII had already "enjoined upon Catholics throughout the world the first octave or novena of prayer for Christian Unity to be observed from the feast of the Ascension to Pentecost." In 1897, in the encyclical Divinum illud munus, Leo XIII established this novena in perpetuity."
But it is interesting that the Pope always wears a stole; I had no idea. Thanks for the info and that link....
"why in the world was he wearing a stole for Evensong?" - and if I had been drinking coffee, it would have sprayed out from me! love it
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