Papal Coat of arms

[Cody]

I have noticed that with the new Holy Father’s coat of arms their is an image of a woman with a crown and some sort of animal that I cannot identify. I was wondering if anyone knows what these are and what they represent?

• Cody +

 

[Fidei_Defensor]

The following was taken from kanawhacountyrtl.org/CoatOfArms.htm, with my personal comments added in brackets.

                                         The upper left-hand section depicts                                             a brown-faced Moor, crown and                                             collar. This element is not rare in                                             European heraldry, and it is very                                             frequent in the Bavarian tradition.                                             It is called "caput ethiopicum" or                                             "Moor of Freising." 
                                        
                                        As Ratzinger himself explained in                                             his autobiography, this element has                                             been included in the shields of the                                             bishops of Freising for some 1,000                                             years. [Before becoming the Prefect of the CDF, Ratzinger was Archbishop of Munich-Freising.]
                                        
                                        "I do not know its meaning. For me                                             it is it is an expression of the                                             universality of the Church, which                                             knows no distinctions of race or                                             class since all are one in Christ                                             (Galatians 3:28)," he [Ratzinger] wrote.

 

[Joseph_Bilodeau]

There was considerable discussion of this here:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=51431

Please keep in mind that much of this discussion took place when the details of this coat of arms were still somewhat speculative.

 

[DeFide]

Cody:

I have noticed that with the new Holy Father’s coat of arms their is an image of a woman with a crown and some sort of animal that I cannot identify. I was wondering if anyone knows what these are and what they represent?

• Cody +

here: ewtn.com/pope/life/arms.asp