Rorate Caeli

Pope Benedict at Saint Paul's Without-the-Walls

On Sunday morning, 5th October Pope Benedict celebrated the opening Mass for the XIIth General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The Mass was offered in the Basilica of Saint Paul's Without-the-Walls.

This post is a continuation of two previous posts on Rorate Caeli about the form of the 16th century chasuble. Please re-read these posts here and here.

On the occasion of the Opening Mass, Pope Benedict wore a green chasuble almost identical in shape and dimensions with the famous statue of Saint Philip Neri by the sculptor Algardi. A digitally-enhanced photograph of that statue is adjacent.



This green Papal chasuble conforms very closely with the dimensions set down by Saint Charles Borromeo at the end of the 16th century governing the size of the chasuble. Note that this chasuble differs significantly in its length and shape from another style of chasuble from the 16th century, which is sometimes referred to as the "Philip Neri" style. A purple and a red chasuble in this "Philip Neri" style were made for the use of Pope Benedict earlier this year (see adjacent photographs).


Photographs of the green chasuble at the beginning of this post from the Papa Ratzinger Forum: with thanks. Click on each of the images below for an enlarged view.