TO TIARA OR NOT TO TIARA, THAT IS THE QUESTION?

I reprint this from the NcR, believe it or not. I don’t think Pope Leo will put it on, what a bombshell that would be if he did! Talk about the heterodox left freaking out!

But no pope is prevented by another pope, Pope Paul VI in this case, not to wear it again.

Pope John Paul I, II, Benedict XVI and Francis I chose not to wear it or to be coronated. Paul VI did receive a coronation, but shortly after receiving the tiara chose not to wear it again.

Pope Leo has recovered the Mozzetta and papal stole that Francis did away with but did not forbid future popes from using. Pope John Paul I chose to maintain the sedia gestatoria and was carried through St. Peter’s Square. It was cool Catholicism. But his papacy only last one month. No other pope has used it since. Paul VI used it frequently.

Given what the NcR says about the Tiara, should a future pope take it again. And can we learn from the Eastern Churches about crowns their bishops wear in place of a miter. And isn’t a miter kind like a tiara? Are we splitting hairs here?

 

A gold metallic embroidered stole of Pope John XXIII and the papal tiara of Pope Paul VI are displayed at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on Oct. 30, 2009. (CNS/Bob Roller)

Symbols of the pontificate: papal tiara, pallium and fisherman's ring

Formerly, the enthronement ceremony included crowning the pope with the papal tiara or "triregnum," a golden crown composed of three overlapping crowns, a symbol of spiritual, temporal and supreme power. The last pontiff to wear it was Pope Paul VI in 1963, after which he decided he would give up its use, though he left it to his successors to reintroduce it.

The papal tiara is a symbol of the threefold power (spiritual, temporal and supreme):

• The papal tiara is made of gold, decorated with sacred images and precious stones;
• Shortly after his election, Pope Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Montini) decided not to wear it anymore, as times had changed;
• Paul VI had his own tiara sold and donated the proceeds to international missions;
• Today, Paul VI's tiara is kept at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.;
• Although he did not ban its use for his successors, no pope has worn it since.