Why the Pope Wears Red Shoes

The Holy Father has been the focus of my interest lately. I have always admired him not only because he is our holy father, but I also slowly learned to admire him as a person; the way he handles himself in times fragility or vulnerability, in times where his papacy was filled with skepticism only because of certain priests who were involved in scandals. But what I admire about him the most is his careful attention to the liturgy.

The Pope’s attention to the liturgy has been one of the core elements of his pontificate. The changes he has made over the past couple of years and his example has helped priests and Catholics to rediscover the central value of the liturgy. According to Msgr. Guido Marini, the Papal Master of Ceremonies, the Liturgy is not an area only reserved for experts. Catholics need to understand the full meaning of the liturgical gestures and symbols. The liturgy has a popular dimension which should be preserved because, through the liturgy, we find ourselves with the mystery of God. There the mystery of salvation is made real for the life of each person. Pope Benedict XVI’s Hermeneutic of Continuity highlight that in the life of the church there is an authentic growth in the way in which they don’t cut the roots so that this development includes the richness of its history and its tradition.

Benedict XVI's red loafers have drawn attention since he became Pope in 2005.
Dubbed the "Prada Pope" after the supposed maker of the shoes, Benedict has been seen wearing the ruby red shoes during his trips and other important events.

The loafers are seen as a statement of his desire to demonstrate continuity with the symbols and history of the Church.
His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, wore brown shoes, which stood out. Though wearing red shoes is a papal tradition, the practice is optional.

Theology Professor Lawrence Cunningham of Notre Dame, in a podcast for NPR.org, said the Pope's red shoes symbolize the blood of martyrdom.

"Traditionally, in the Catholic Church, the color red commemorates the blood of martyrdom ... Fire and red are identified with the Holy Spirit," Cunnigham said.

The devil may wear Prada — but the pope does not.

According to the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, the bright red loafers that Pope Benedict XVI wears are not designed by the Milanese fashion house, as has long been rumored. “Obviously the attribution was false,” the Vatican newspaper said.

“Such rumors are inconsistent with the simple and somber man who, on the day of his election to the papacy, showed to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square and to the whole world the sleeves of a modest black sweater,” it said.
Still, Benedict’s fashion sense has often drawn media attention.

Five years ago around Christmas, he showed up for his weekly public audience in St. Peter’s Square wearing a fur-trimmed stocking cap that could have passed for a Santa Claus hat. The hat, as it turned out, is a “camauro,” which dates back to the Middle Ages and figures in many papal portraits.

On a separate occasion, Benedict sported a sumptuous red velvet cape trimmed in ermine — another piece of traditional papal attire that had long been abandoned.

The colour of the Pope's shoes dates back to the liturgical practice of the church and to the different colours the priest wears when celebrating Mass. As we all know, the colour changes according to the occasion. In earlier times, the colour of the Pope's shoes used to change as well: when he puts on a green chasuble, he chose green shoes as well; when his chasuble was red, he would wear red shoes. The shoes and chasuble would be the same colour. However, in the course of time, red became the dominant colour of his shoes - thus, the Pope still wears (dark) red shoes even today.

Personally, I believe that apart from white, red is the most suitable color for the Holy Father because the color red is the appropriate liturgical color for the feast of the apostles. The Pope, because he is the successor of peter, the prince of the apostles, should wear red shoes as sign of the linkage between his office and of the 12 apostles.

Red is the colour of the martyrs: The Pope (a former cardinal) defends his belief with his blood - just as the cardinals. Reminiscance of the bloodshed of the martyrs. Red is the classic color of love which is consummated by Jesus whose commitment is embodied by his blood.

In the end, the color of the shoe does not necessarily define a man. Whether he wears the red loafers or not does not diminish who he is as a person. I am personally convinced that the pope’s interest in clothes has nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with the liturgy — what symbolism traditional garments can bring to the Christian liturgy. Everything he does is all part of the Holy Father’s vision in enriching the beauty of the liturgy of the Holy Catholic Church through the process of continuity.

The Pope, therefore, does not wear Prada, but Christ.

Live Jesus in our hearts…FOREVER!

P.S. Pope Benedict's shoe size is a 42, which in the U.S. is an 8 1/2 men's