The Benedict Code

Benedict_xvi_armsA reader writes to <humor>tap my expertise as a world-famous symbologist</humor> and says:

What is the significance of Pope Benedict XVI using a miter in his coat of arms instead of the tiara? Is their a difference between the two?

There is indeed a difference between the two. A mitre is the symbol of a bishop–a leader of the flock of God. A tiara–as a kind of crown–is a symbol of the ruler of a state, a worldly leader.

The pope used to be the head of the papal states and even today is the head of state for Vatican City (which is an independent country), but as popes have focused more and more on their spiritual office, they have de-emphasized the worldly authority they have as heads of state.

Consequently, Paul VI discontinued actually wearing a tiara on certain occasions. A tiara were previously used, for example, when a pope was crowned after being elected. (And Paul VI apparently was crowned, though he later discontinued the use of the tiara.) John Paul I and John Paul II were merely installed as pope rather than being crowned. (Actually, they already were pope from the moment they accepted their elections, but there was still a formal installation ceremony replacing the crowning ceremony.) They still retained the tiara in their coats of arms, though.

Benedict XVI completed the process by not even having a tiara in his coat of arms, replacing it with a mitre, which symbolizes the true essence of his office as the bishop of Rome and the leader of God’s flock rather than a worldly ruler (even though he may still be the ruler of Vatican City).

Despite the absence of the tiara from his coat of arms, there’s still a lot of fascinating stuff in it.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BENEDICT XVI’S COAT OF ARMS.

ALSO LEARN MORE ABOUT PAPAL TIARAS.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

18 thoughts on “The Benedict Code”

  2. I’m thinking the tiara is gone. for good. P6 not only discontinued using it, he sold his. (it’s at CUA in DC). the role of B16 as bishop (albeit of Rome) is simply more important than his role as sovereign. our pope is more important than a bunch of hanger-on-s kings seeming to live in the past. fwiw.

  3. P6 not only discontinued using it, he sold his. (it’s at CUA in DC).
    Not quite. He donated it to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Admittedly the Shrine’s on the CUA campus.

  4. In addition, I am told that John Paul II did own a tiara (even though he was never crowned); it was kept in the Apostolic sacristy.
    The tiara, or triregnum, isn’t a symbol of a worldly power. It is a symbol of the papacy. It is a triple crown to show that even emperors (who wore a double crown) were subject to the Pope.
    If the Pope is going to do away with the tiara on his coat-of-arms, perhaps bishops ought to do away with the galero (when was the last time you saw your Ordinary wearing one of these?).

  5. I’m not sure the Pope’s role as bishop is more important than his role as sovereign, because I’m not sure it’s possible to separate the office of Prime Minister of the King of Kings from the role of sovereign.
    As for “hangers-on kings seeming to live in the past,” to me that smacks as nothing more than the hubris and bigotry of “democracy” and “progress,” as if monarchy is something from “the Dark Ages,” and only liberalism is fit for modern man — as if there aren’t plenty of monarchies on earth today, one of them being (ahem!) Vatican City.

  7. Well, the Holy See owns a few tiaras still; there are several, just like royal families usually have several crowns (mostly unused).

  8. I am heartened that the new pope did not wear a tiara, and surely hope he does not resume use of the sedia gestatoria, the flabella, et cet. Things inherited from the court ceremonial of Persian shahs and others should be allowed to go to their rest….

  11. I just don’t see the point of this, I must admit. The mitre and the tiara developed from the same Medieval piece of headgear, so a mitre with three gold bands is, essentially, a triregnum – albeit a stylized one. The symbolic value of the tiara, as distinct from a normal mitre, always rested on the three crowns (once the three became standard), so the three bands (stylized crowns) here would have to be interpreted in the same way. If anything, the addition of the vertical gold band, which is supposed to symbolize the unity of the three functions in the one man, simply makes the claim stronger. (The temporal aspect of the claim, by the way, is not to sovereignty over the Papal States specifically, but to the pope’s temporal authority over all sovereign kings/nations. Or at least this is how it has traditionally been understood.)
    So I just don’t see the point of it all. The only thing that this seems to have accomplished (whether it is the official decision of Benedict XVI or is just Abp. Montezemolo’s idea) is to create confusion.

  12. The Shrine’s web site has this to say:

    Less than four months after his June 30, 1963 coronation, Pope Paul VI laid this tiara on the altar of St. Peter’s and announced that he was giving it to the poor of the world. Cardinal Spellman, [sic] requested the honor of obtaining the tiara and putting it to use for the poor. In recognition of the generosity of the American people to the hungry and dispossessed peoples of the world, the request was granted. On Feb. 6, 1968, Archbishop Luigi Raimondi, Apostolic Delegate to the United States, in his presentation of the papal tiara to the National Shrine, spoke of the Pope’s action on that November day in 1964 as a manifestation of the “renunciation of human glory and power” and as “the new spirit of the Church purified.”
    The tiara is displayed at this church of pilgrimage, as a perennial invitation to follow the path marked by the Vicar of Christ. The Shrine contributes donation proceeds annually to the Holy Father’s fund for the poor.

    It’s entirely possible that “the honor of obtaining” means “being allowed to have someone to buy it for you”, but nobody mentioned that part when I was being trained to give tours.
    BTW, interested parties can see a picture of it at the above link. I might have a better one around here somewhere.

  13. There is some discussion on the blogosphere that this might not be the final armorial achievement. It doesn’t appear on the Vatican Website yet. There is a question whether the pallium belongs undereath the escutcheon (shield) or in some other format. There are already several versions on the net with different colours. What might happen is that there will be different achivements for different purposes. One might have the triregnum for certain purposes, others with a mitre.
    It’ll be interesting to see what it looks like on the Vatican website when they eventually publish it.

  18. The Papal Tiara & Pope Paul VI:
    I have read on your site that “Paul VI apparently was crowned, though he later discontinued the use of the tiara”, referring to the historical Papal Tiara. Not only did he discontinue to use it, he also took it upon himself to give it away ensuring that none of his successors could ever use it. The Papal Crown/Tiara was not his to giveaway. We await the return of both the Papal Tiara and the Latin Mass both of which Paul VI seems to have had little use for.

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