Can the Pope wear a Byzantine Mitre?

[bben15]

Hello. Since the Pope is technically omni-ritual, can he wear a Byzantine mitre instead of a Western one? I’ve seen Popes wear Byzantine vestments, but they are still wearing a Western mitre.

I know one of the answers is going to be: “Who is going to stop him?” But since the Pope is canonically Latin rite, would it be wrong for him to wear a Byzantine mitre?

God bless you for answering my question.

 

[YoungTradCath]

He can wear whatever he wants.

 

[Domnall]

He can wear whatever he wants.

I was going to post this very same thing! haha

 

[aemcpa]

Hello. Since the Pope is technically omni-ritual, can he wear a Byzantine mitre instead of a Western one? I’ve seen Popes wear Byzantine vestments, but they are still wearing a Western mitre.

I know one of the answers is going to be: “Who is going to stop him?” But since the Pope is canonically Latin rite, would it be wrong for him to wear a Byzantine mitre?

God bless you for answering my question.

You just said that he’s omni-ritual. Why then contradict yourself and say he’s Latin rite?

If he wanted to wear a fez and a bowtie, or a ten-gallon hat, or an authentic New Era Yankees cap, it would be licit. His word is law.

 

[R_C]

Well, the pope is the Bishop of Rome, which is part of the Latin Church, right? So Id suppose he’d adhere to the liturgical traditions of the Roman Rite

 

[R_C]

His word is law.

Not quite

 

[aemcpa]

Not quite

As far as this matter is concerned, yes, quite.

 

[Glad2behome]

Well, the pope is the Bishop of Rome, which is part of the Latin Church, right? So Id suppose he’d adhere to the liturgical traditions of the Roman Rite

True, but that is not to say that are brothers and sisters in the East that are in communion with Rome are chop liver.

 

[Elizium23]

Well, the pope is the Bishop of Rome, which is part of the Latin Church, right? So Id suppose he’d adhere to the liturgical traditions of the Roman Rite

Why not Ambrosian?

The Holy Father is above particular Churches and he is above Rites. I suspect that celebration in Eastern Rites is rare for popes because preparation and training would be required for the typically Latin prelates who are elected to the office. But as head of all 23 sui iuris Churches, he has a duty to safeguard the patrimony of all Rites equally.

 

[Glad2behome]

Why not Ambrosian?

The Holy Father is above particular Churches and he is above Rites. I suspect that celebration in Eastern Rites is rare for popes because preparation and training would be required for the typically Latin prelates who are elected to the office. But as head of all 23 sui iuris Churches, he has a duty to safeguard the patrimony of all Rites equally.

 

[MorEphrem]

But as head of all 23 sui iuris Churches, he has a duty to safeguard the patrimony of all Rites equally.

I don’t mean to cause an argument or controversy but he is the head of the Catholic Church; each sui iuris Church has a patriarch who acts as the head; once a patriarch is elected by their respective synods they then request to enter in communion with the Pope. The head of the Maronite Church is Patriarch Bechara Rai (believe you me, I wish Benedict XVI had been our head during his reign) and is in full communion with Rome. The Pope exercises primacy in the relationship. It might seemed nuanced but there is a difference; and it is not the Pope’s obligation to safeguard the patrimony of the different Churches: case and point the Maronites have been destroying their patrimony since the later part of the 20th century despite the fact every pope since Paul VI, especially Benedict XVI, has been saying that Eastern Catholic Churches should return to their patrimonies. The Popes do not exercise coercive authority over each sui iuris Church, hence the very title.

That being said, the Pope can wear a Byzantine miter; however, it is very uncommon that the situation should arise where he would need to or it would be charitable to do so. Pertaining to the above, just because he canonically can doesn’t mean it would do great for relations within the Church to do so on a whim. I will stop short before I inadvertently offend someone.

 

[R_C]

As far as this matter is concerned, yes, quite.

CCC 882 …] the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered

I stand corrected. I was thinking about something else.

The Holy Father is above particular Churches and he is above Rites. I suspect that celebration in Eastern Rites is rare for popes because preparation and training would be required for the typically Latin prelates who are elected to the office.

That’s kind of what I had in mind…since generally the formation of the bishop of Rome is the Roman Rite. But times have changed, and in theory it would be possible for a cardinal of an Eastern Rite to become Pontiff. I wonder if he’d celebrate only in Byzantine Rite or if he’d have to learn the Roman Rite

 

[R_C]

I don’t mean to cause an argument or controversy but he is the head of the Catholic Church; each sui iuris Church has a patriarch who acts as the head; once a patriarch is elected by their respective synods they then request to enter in communion with the Pope. The Pope exercises primacy in the relationship. It might seemed nuanced but there is a difference …] That being said, the Pope can wear a Byzantine miter; however, it is very uncommon that the situation should arise where he would need to or it would be charitable to do so. Pertaining to the above, just because he canonically can doesn’t mean it would do great for relations within the Church to do so on a whim. I will stop short before I inadvertently offend someone.

Your point is very clearly expressed and not offensive in the least bit. It is good for us to remember that the primacy of the Holy Father is not exercised over the Eastern Rites in the same way it is exercised over the Latin Church. The very term sui iuris found in the Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches indicates that there is a relative autonomy, and we further read that “a special honor is to be accorded to the patriarchs of the Eastern Churches, each of whom presides over his patriarchal Church as father and head. …] The patriarch together with the synod of bishops has the legislative, judicial and administrative powers within the ecclesiastical territory, without prejudice to those powers reserved, in the common law to the pope.”. The patriarch also has a significant authority by his own right.

I recall that when Pope Benedict created two cardinals pertaining to Eastern Rites (cardinals Rai and Cleemis) he bestowed birettas in conformity with their liturgical traditions:



http://www.cnewa.org/blog-images/2012-11/20121126nw183.jpg

 

[MorEphrem]

That’s kind of what I had in mind…since generally the formation of the bishop of Rome is the Roman Rite. But times have changed, and in theory it would be possible for a cardinal of an Eastern Rite to become Pontiff. I wonder if he’d celebrate only in Byzantine Rite or if he’d have to learn the Roman Rite

I don’t mean to sound insistent but I would just like to make clear the difference between rite and Church. A cardinal is from an Eastern Church, which in turn uses an Eastern rite. The canons specifically use rite because it is not just a form of ritual but an entire dignified assembly of people. Sorry to be a stickler I just feel making the distinction helps to clarify the idea of Churches with their own hierarchies in communion with Rome (with the Pope exercises primacy) as opposed to one big blob and some anomalies use “different masses.”

 

[malphono]

I recall that when Pope Benedict created two cardinals pertaining to Eastern Rites (cardinals Rai and Cleemis) he bestowed birettas in conformity with their liturgical traditions:

Actually, neither is a biretta. In the case of the Maronite Patriarch, this is the 4th one who was given a “red hat” and in all 4 cases, it was the traditional tobbiye (in Cardinal red) that has been worn. In the case of the Syro-Malankara Catholicos, this is the first “red hat” bestowed, and the traditional koub’ono was adapted for the purpose.

IIRC, in the case of the retired Chaldean Catholicos-Patriarch, the traditional shash was used (again in Cardinal red).

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

AFAIK, the one Oriental Cardinal who wears a biretta is the Syro-Malabar Major-Archbishop, and even that isn’t exactly the same as the Latin, but a rather unique adaptation.

 

[Brendan]

When Pope John Paul celebrated the Divine Liturgy, he did so wearing Western vestments
youtube.com/watch?v=5LQDaRZKzU0

But that, of course, would not be binding on any future Pope