Saturday, December 01, 2007

HAPPY AND BLESSED ADVENT



The Holy Father presiding at Solemn Vespers today to mark the beginning of the Church's Year.

The bottom picture is from last year -compare and contrast.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow Good Old Benny!

Anonymous said...

One of the many things that makes this Pope so wonderful is that nothing he did before his election indicated any kind of desire for pomp or luxuries. He is wearing those garments because he is humble enough to respect the Petrine Office, and humble enough to not confuse it with himself.

Long live Benedict!

Anonymous said...

Isn't he just mind-blowing?

Dr. Peter H. Wright said...

Well !
It looks as though the throne of Leo XIII is here to stay.
I hope they "lose" that white armchair ..

"Cosmos" is right.
The Pope should look like the Pope.
Not for himself, but for the supreme office he holds as Vicar of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Peter H. Wright said...

An afterthought ..

Father Ray says "compare and contrast".
Well, I have.

The traditional vestments and the traditional papal throne seem to me to emphasise not Pope Benedict himself, but the Petrine office, which he holds, and its continuity down the centuries.

The modern vestments and chair simply seem to say "Look at me".

To that extent, they are a sign of discontinuity.

Pope Benedict appears to be re-asserting continuity.

Anonymous said...

Nicola de Grandi, who knows more about Papal vestments than is quite healthy, has an interesting post on the New Liturgical Movement blog. He has spotted that the morse (the big clasp) that the Holy Father is wearing in these pictures is of a special penitential pattern, used only in Advent and Lent. Apparently this is its first use since 1969.

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