On the day of the consistory the Cardinal-designate waits in his apartments, dressed in beautiful robes, usually surrounded by friends, until the papal Master of Ceremonies, formally announces the honor to which he is about to be raised and accompanies him to the Vatican. [...]The majority of the piece seems to spend way too much time censoriously agog at the cardinals' elaborate traditional wardrobe (one wonders how it might compare in comfort and extent to the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts of their day, just as pricey but far more drab), but this reminds us that men who wear red silk are quite capable of being humble.
Cardinal Barnabo, on the other hand, forgot all about the consistory, and, on being searched for, was found hearing confessions while the court awaited him at the Vatican.
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Thursday, March 11
A Lost Cardinal
A good friend sends this little tale of humility along, taken from a long-ago item in the New York Times:
It seems this reporter is just as interested in the "to be Paid by New Cardinals" part as the "fees" part of the headline, "Fees to be Paid by New Cardinals."
ReplyDeleteThe article points out that an American cardinal "follows his own rules," whereas in Rome a cardinal's liberty has restrictions and he is not allowed to walk in the city. It continues, "It is difficult to estimate the initial expense of being raised to the purple, because it must depends on the individual, but a certain expenditure is obligatory."
The list of exact prices that follows (e.g. $600 for the Cardinal's ring) emphasizes the reporter's astonishment at the elaborate nature of the wardrobe, yes, but also that these poor men are expected to pay for it themselves. "Even with economy,"the writer observes, they can't avoid spending more than $5,000, and in the concluding paragraph laments how the Church's demands have "clipped" poor men's budgets and given them debts to take to the grave. Look at how controlling and unfair Rome is with mandatory two-horse carriages and obligatory expenditures just to become a cardinal!
I think the wardrobe's cost to the cardinals is offensive to the writer in a way similar to perhaps how many feel about Scientologists being required to pay money, sometimes over a million dollars, to take lectures and special auditing sessions. The individual cardinals' humility is not questioned as much as their judgment.
I'm sure the mothers of 1911 New York debutantes read this article, sighed, and only wished it were that cheap and easy to launch their little girls into society.
ReplyDeleteSo why are we so fascinated by the lifestyles of the "Rich and Famous" in tabloids and nightly news, but a man having to pay $5000 for an outfit that is more like a uniform than a luxury is outrageous?
ReplyDeleteThis is, I agree, ridiculous, though let's not forget $5,000 was a lot of bread back then. That being said, as the Banshee points out, it's probably cheaper than the cost of launching a debutante!
ReplyDeleteBecause of suspicion, ignorance, and hyper-vigilance of "hypocrisy" in religion. Look, I see a priest drinking wine at a social function and it isn't even cheap wine! Why isn't he helping the poor?
ReplyDeleteCheck out the last sentence, too: New cardinal's who couldn't afford all of the taxes and outlays had to take them on credit from the Church, and if they died without paying them back, the Church never tried to collect against the estate.
ReplyDeleteGlory!
This one is my very favorite from the NY Times archives: 1903- Newly elected Pope (St.) Pius X and his trusty sidekick, Cardinal Merry del Val, personally direct firefighting in the Vatican!
ReplyDeleteThe Roman fire department has to be officially invited into the Vatican to insist by the Pope himself!
A ripping tale.
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C02E2D71439E433A25751C0A9679D946297D6CF
should be "to assist"
ReplyDeleteBut it wasn't just Cardinals. Here is the uniform that a British Cabinet Minister had to have in the same year, 1911.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.costumes.org/History/galleryimages/1911playerscoronation/pages/015.htm
All that gold embroidery would not have come cheap.
Of course we British were far too polite to complain about how much Court uniforms cost, but a Yankee journalist found out - $1,250 in 1914, apparently:
ReplyDeletehttp://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2288&dat=19140204&id=chgoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FAUGAAAAIBAJ&pg=3987,4146569
Mmm...back when civil servants knew how to dress.
ReplyDelete