Pope Benedict to Keep his name and become Pope Emeritus

  • Thread starter Thread starter lukegabello
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I like that. I didn’t know though that the papal rings are destroyed.
 
CarolNoel said:
I like that. I didn’t know though that the papal rings are destroyed.
Click to expand...
The papal ring as well as the crosier and the miter are all signs of the Office and Power of the Bishop of Rome and are reserved for him alone. Now that Pope Benedict is not acting pope, he doesn’t need them, so they get destroyed.
 
andy92 said:
The papal ring as well as the crosier and the miter are all signs of the Office and Power of the Bishop of Rome and are reserved for him alone. Now that Pope Benedict is not acting pope, he doesn’t need them, so they get destroyed.
Click to expand...
Plus, the ring is also what he uses to seal official documents. The tradition grew out of a need to prevent thieves from stealing the ring and forging documents.
 
andy92 said:
The papal ring as well as the crosier and the miter are all signs of the Office and Power of the Bishop of Rome and are reserved for him alone. Now that Pope Benedict is not acting pope, he doesn’t need them, so they get destroyed.
Click to expand...
:confused: The ferula (staff thing) and mitres are not destroyed. As much as a giant nugget of gold costs to make a nice ring, you’d be surprised to learn that the other paraments probably cost more. I can find mitres online that cost $20,000, and chasubles for $30,000.

The ring is destroyed but the vestments and liturgical paraments are most certainly not. Pope Benedict has worn mitres over 150 years old.
Joe_5859 said:
Plus, the ring is also what he uses to seal official documents. The tradition grew out of a need to prevent thieves from stealing the ring and forging documents.
Click to expand...
The ring is no longer used to seal documents, but a separate lead seal is.
 
I did hear somewhere that the ring would be destroyed, I guess the gold would be melted down. I am glad about Pope Benedict’s Title. Our Cardinal had told us Pope Benedict would devote his time to prayer, some say he will probably write a book!
 
Did anyone hear today that Pope Benedict would get to keep his ring?
 
The former pope will not keep his ring nor will it be destroyed. The Dean announced that its face will be marred so that it cannot be used. It will be stored.

Destroying the ring no longer serves the purpose that it once did. First, the ring has not been used to seal documents for more than 75 years. Seals are used. Today there are electric ones as well as weighted seals.

Second, in today’s world of technology, the ring can be duplicated very easily. Everyone who has access to the internet knows what it looks like, exactly how much it weighs in gold, and its size. The idea was to destroy it so that documents could not be forged using the Fisherman’s Seal.

Third, the ring actually serves a greater purpose as a historical piece as this is the ring of a pope who abdicated, which is not common.

Who gets to hold it has not been announced. It can be stored at the Vatican or it can be given to Benedict XVI to hold onto until he dies and then put away in a safe place. We have no script here since popes don’t abdicate everyday.
 
JReducation said:
The former pope will not keep his ring nor will it be destroyed. The Dean announced that its face will be marred so that it cannot be used. It will be stored.

Destroying the ring no longer serves the purpose that it once did. First, the ring has not been used to seal documents for more than 75 years. Seals are used. Today there are electric ones as well as weighted seals.

Second, in today’s world of technology, the ring can be duplicated very easily. Everyone who has access to the internet knows what it looks like, exactly how much it weighs in gold, and its size. The idea was to destroy it so that documents could not be forged using the Fisherman’s Seal.

Third, the ring actually serves a greater purpose as a historical piece as this is the ring of a pope who abdicated, which is not common.

Who gets to hold it has not been announced. It can be stored at the Vatican or it can be given to Benedict XVI to hold onto until he dies and then put away in a safe place. We have no script here since popes don’t abdicate everyday.
Click to expand...
This is interesting. Why do you say that the ring will be marred and stored? The final VIS news blurb of today says: “Benedict XVI’s Fisherman’s Ring and the seal of his pontificate will also be destroyed at that time and the papal apartments in the Vatican Palace will be sealed.” Are they just being non-specific about the way it is “destroyed”?
 
Joe_5859 said:
This is interesting. Why do you say that the ring will be marred and stored? The final VIS news blurb of today says: “Benedict XVI’s Fisherman’s Ring and the seal of his pontificate will also be destroyed at that time and the papal apartments in the Vatican Palace will be sealed.” Are they just being non-specific about the way it is “destroyed”?
Click to expand...
Because that was clarified for the media, later this afternoon by the Dean via Fr. Lombardi, via EWTN. When they say destroy, they don’t mean that it’s going to be smashed to as was once done. It simply will no longer be usable. However they do it, which he didn’t say, will simply deface it. Apparently the term “destroy” had some people very confused and some crazy images were running through people’s minds of someone going wild over the ring with a mallet or some such thing. Fr. Lombardi clarified that this is not what they mean by “destroyed”.

It makes sense. If you have a ring with a seal and you mar its face, you’ve destroyed it, because it no longer serves the wearer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top