Celebrating With Tradition
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
In his two years at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI has returned many neglected papal vestments to daily use. This Easter season was an occasion to highlight the extraordinary pieces.
On Good Friday, the pope walked the 14 Stations of the Cross in a red papal cloak, his white vestment mostly concealed underneath. The next day, as followers gathered for the Saturday vigil, he opted for a gold satin surplice, the wide-sleeve, square-neck vestment, embellished with delicate gold crosses and flecks of red stitching. On Easter Sunday, His Holiness wore a gold mitre embroidered with a scallop shell motif, often used as a visual reference to the Christian tradition of baptism. He frequently donned a pallium, the narrow white band of wool draped over the body that had fallen out of favor. And his red leather loafers, another revived tradition, peeked out from under it all.
