From the meaning of the red color to the clothing codes for the participants, here’s what to know on the ceremonial that accompanies the funeral of the bishop of Rome.
The funeral of a pope It is one of the most solemn liturgical and symbolic events of the Catholic Church, a moment that combines tradition, spirituality and ancient protocols, shared between sacred and temporal power. Celebration of the end of a pontificate and transition to the vacant venue, the funeral are held in the majestic setting of the Basilica or St. Peter’s Square, in an atmosphere of recollection that embraces the entire Catholic world.
Men and women, religious and heads of state, everyone gather to pay homage to Peter’s successor, according to a ritual full of meanings, where every gesture, every parade, every silence has a precise function.
The code of the dress: between mourning and sacredness
On the day of the funeral, the clothing requested from the participants reflects the respect due to the head of the universal Church. The cardinals wear red choral clothes, while the bishops and high prelates present themselves with the liturgical tones of purple. Religious participate in the sobriety of their monastic robes, recalling evangelical simplicity.
The official delegations and representatives of the monarchies or Catholic states instead follow a rigid ceremonial protocol, which provides for the use of formal black clothes. Women, in particular if belonging to the diplomatic body or officially invited, wear long black clothes and headdresses, with the possible use of the mantiglia for the Catholic faithful. Black, color of mourning, is also an expression of decorum and liturgical reverence.
In some rare exceptions, the Catholic queens who enjoy the so -called “white privilege” – such as the Queen of Spain or the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg – can wear white clothes in papal hearings, but this custom is suspended in funeral rites, where penitential symbolism prevails.
The Pope’s red: symbol of martyrdom and spirit
Unlike what could be imagined, the Pope is not buried with the white vestments, symbol of Easter, nor with the purple ones, proper to mourning. In fact, the red is the color chosen for its funeral: a shade that recalls the blood shed by the martyrs and which, in the liturgy, also expresses the living presence of the Holy Spirit.
As a successor of Peter – he himself martyr under the emperor Nero – the Pope is wrapped in the red vestments to underline the sacrificial dimension of his ministry. It is the Church itself, through this sign, to recognize in the Pope a figure who offered his life entirely at the service of faith.
The red farmhouse, accompanied by the stole and other liturgical elements, thus becomes a mantle of testimony, the final seal of a consecrated existence.
