A correspondent recently found the text of this letter from Cardinal Ugo Poletti which was published in 1982. It promulgates norms approved by Pope John Paul II regarding the wearing of clerical dress in the Diocese of Rome. The most striking provision was his requirement that those who had received "candidacy" should wear clerical dress. In many seminaries, including my own, this was actually forbidden.I remember the afternoon that the news appeared in the Italian edition of L'Osservatore Romano which a priest studying canon law gleefully showed to myself and a good friend who had been made "candidates" earlier in the year. The following morning, we came down to chapel in clerical dress. It may not seem much in hindsight but it was a very controversial matter at the time.
My correspondent kindly typed out the letter and suggested that I should post it so that others would not have to undertake the lengthy search that he did. I am very happy to oblige.
Sources: (in case any students need chapter and verse)
The English version was reported in L'Osservatore Romano (English edition) n.756, 25 October 1982. The text is also in the Canon Law Digest, 10; p.13-15
Letter of the Vicar of Rome to Clergy and ReligiousIn Italian, there are various pseudo-English expressions such as "Lo smoking" (a dinner jacket) "Il golf" (a cardigan). "Il clergyman" is another such expression, meaning a clerical suit, as opposed to the soutane.
Dear Brothers in the priesthood, diocesan and religious, in Rome, in communion with the bishops of the Diocesan Episcopal Council, I gladly fulfil the duty of presenting to you the esteemed letter of our Bishop and Pastor, Pope John Paul II, concerning the use of ecclesiastical dress in the Diocese of Rome.
You, too, will welcome it with filial and sincere support in that ecclesial communion with the bishop which embraces also the disciplinary order by appreciating the wealth of spiritual, ecclesial and pastoral values which it contains. Of special importance are the values of witness, of priestly identity, and of the sign to be offered to the world, so that it may recognize us clearly as disciples of the Shepherd.
One could ask: why does the Pope address himself to the Diocese of Rome and not to the whole Church? As he states in the letter he sent to me, he feels the duty of addressing himself as Bishop of Rome, especially to the sons and brothers who are nearer and directly engaged with him in a mission of evangelization which is nurtured and expressed in love.
Everything is easy for one who loves.
Before expressing in the concrete the precise norms for you, brothers of Rome, in accordance with the directives of the Holy Father, I entered into accord with the cardinals in charge of the various Sacred Congregations of the Clergy, for Religious and for Secular Institutes, and for Catholic Education, so that with their authority and in the areas of their competence, they might confirm the opportune dispositions.
In fact, the very numerous and varied presence of priests, religious and ecclesiastical students, resident in this diocese, constitutes without doubt an immense reservoir of spiritual energies and also a visible witness of Christian vitality of the highest value which must, as far as possible, be fostered as an example for our sister churches.
Therefore, by joint agreement with the responsible authorities in the sectors of respective competence, it seemed necessary that in this beloved Diocese, the dispositions concerning ecclesiastical dress should again have full force with the following characteristics:
1. From now on the obligation of ecclesiastical and religious dress for priests, whether diocesan or religious, resident in the Diocese of Rome is confirmed in all its force.
2. For secular priests, whether diocesan or permanently domiciled in Rome, this dress may be either the soutane or the "clergyman" according to Italian usage, black or dark grey, or even dark blue, with the Roman collar.
3. This disposition is also valid for non-diocesan priests who intend to reside in Rome only temporarily.
4. Religious, under the vigilance of their lawful superiors, shall wear the habit of their own institute, a sign of their special consecration, or at least – in accordance with their own law – the "clergyman."
5. The soutane or the religious habit is of obligation in liturgical celebrations, in the administration of the sacraments, and in preaching. It is strongly advised in the ambient of one's own pastoral ministry.
6. As from the beginning of the current scholastic year the use of ecclesiastical or religious dress shall be resumed also in the period of formation in seminaries and colleges beginning with the rite of admission of candidates for the priesthood and, in religious houses of studies from their first profession.
I deem it my duty to recognize the good will shown for some time by the clergy and religious, especially the young, in resuming spontaneously and in wearing with propriety ecclesiastical or religious dress as a manifest sign of love and responsibility. I trust very much in the understanding and collaboration of the young.
There is present here in Rome, as a consolation and hope for the whole Church, a really magnificent representation of youth, coming from every part of the world.
It is the fervent hope and desire of the Holy Father and of the bishops, his collaborators, that with the reconfirmation of ecclesiastical and religious dress, the witness of these young people consecrated to the Lord, and unknown to many, may be ever more manifested to all in an open, joyous and courageous manner. The example of so many young people in the service of the Church and of souls, will certainly be for many other young people an effective call to the consecrated life and it will be for all an incentive to a courageous and open Christian life.
The three Sacred Congregations for the Clergy, for Religious and for Secular Institutes, and for Catholic Education, confirm with me the norms set out above, committing themselves to put them into effect in the seminaries, in the houses of formation, in religious institutes and colleges, willingly assisted by the local superiors. Likewise, the pontifical universities, the athenaea, and the academies of Rome will do honor through the decorum of the discipline of dress to their authentic and indispensable work of cultural and pastoral formation, according to the noblest traditions of their history.
The Supreme Pontiff, in the audience granted to me on 27 September, 1982, deigned to approve the norms set out above and authorized their publication.
Dear brothers, our Father and Bishop asks us for an act of love and collaboration: also in this there is measured the generosity of evangelical witness. Imparting to us his apostolic blessing, he entrusts it to the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin "Comforter of the Roman People" so that our response may be easy and prompt.
With fraternal affection, ever united with you in your ministry and in your priestly life, I greet you.
Ugo Cardinal Poletti
Cardinal Vicar of the Diocese of Rome, letter, 27 September, 1982
13 comments:
Going back quite a few years now, I was a seminarian at The English College, Lisbon. I took with me my own cassock (soutane) and the College outfitted me in the distinctive cassock belonging to the College and also the over-garment with its distinctive red collarette which hung behind each shoulder with a point behind the left shoulder and a kind of flight or tail behind the right shoulder. The whole collarette was sort of like an arrow with an arrow-head and a flight. This was worn when we were out in the street. My own cassock had a Roman collar but the College one had a strip of white cloth which was folded around the cassock collar and secured in place by two pins at the front. Of course, in those days, men wore loose collars on their shirts, held in place by collar studs.
I was there from 1955 to 1958.
The College has been sold now and it is just part of history. We only wore "civvies" when we went away on holidays.
JARay
Father:
Not exactly on-topic, but slightly related, so am hoping you know the answer:
Layment acting as servers, should/may/ought they wear a roman collar under the cassock or not?
I have heard arguments both pro and contra. I would think it would look better and stop the cassock losing its shape, but equally I know some Priests would not like it.
I only ever recall wearing such garb on 3 occasions: twice at St Pater's on Easter Sunday mornings, and once on the vigil of St Philip Neri where I was Cantor with Guido. I did, however, wear my Upholland scarf in place of that black waistband! Not sure if that was liturgically correct, though, in 1983 & 1984.
Dear Father
When I was at Ushaw Seminary in the late 1990's, the staff only allowed deacon's to wear their clerical dress for formal occasions or Sunday Mass. To do otherwise was to set oneself up for a so-called 'formation issue' with the liberal elite who despised such signs of the sacred priesthood. For the rest of us it was woolly pullies and jeans for class and ties for Sunday Mass. Even then I remember a couple of the deacons being discouraged that they had been 'frowned upon' for wearing their clerics within the allowed parameters!
We had the ridiculous scenario at one of the feast days where several of the priests on the staff showed up in their preferred shirts and ties..., the President in a white shirt which rather hid his rarely worn collar, a couple of the deacons in 'deepest black' and a visiting host of women vicars in black blouses with clerical collars and dark manly suits.
We even had a woman vicar host the Ash Wednesday reflections one year in a Roman collar and flowing cassock, whilst boasting about eating a bacon sandwich on the incoming train journey with a liberal Jewish rabbi!
A prayerful lad I know had his ordination delayed by 6 months for wearing his clerical dress as a deacon working in the parish - and then only on Sundays and sick visits - because the parish priest wanted him to 'dress down'...
Thankfully, he and other good guys are now happy priests who are so busy saving souls and helping the sick that they have no time to be bothered trying to look like a trendy lay-man and are quite content to be a witness to the presence of Jesus Christ and His Church on the streets and in the hospital wards in their smart clerical attire!
In Christ
Alan (and Angeline)
I remember this instruction being issued in 1982. It was reported quite prominently in the Catholic Herald at the time. But I don't think the letter achieved very much, even though it was the express wish of Pope John Paul II.
The story I heard was that the Pope was very taken aback by the disappearance of the cassock and the religious habit from the streets of Rome, and even from St. Peter's Square, and wanted to see it being worn as an act of witness.
In the 1970s, when I was living in Italy, I frequently found myself in Rome. My, how it had changed since I had first seen it as a boy. I was in Italy to study art and architecture (and goodness knows there was plenty to see). I was not there to study the decline of the Church. But I couldn't help notice how Rome had changed. Hardly a cassock or a religious habit in sight.
It seemed rather strange. But then I started hearing various horror stories from priests and seminarians that clerical dress was more or less banned. I certainly heard this story about the English College, and one or two visits there confirmed it.
I don't know what started it. Aggiornamento ? The false "spirit of Vatican II" ? Why did priests and religious want to dress like laity ? It seemed, and seems, to me a rather bolshie thing to want to do.
Frankly, I found it all rather off putting. I still do.
Mark - Fr Z covered this question on his blog and I agree with his answer (basically "yes" but only when serving).
May I please add one little consideration in this matter of clerical dress worn outside in the street. When I was so dressed I was very aware of myself, in that I was always careful of what people could see in me. I really had to behave myself and I think that having such an awareness is very good for the seminarian in his formation. I can very well remember my Organ teacher giving forth on the matter. He had been friends with another musician who, it turned out, was a homosexual. Someone approached Dr. Muller in a sexual way and when he was taken aback, this one said to him "Well, you're a friend of Dr. XXXX aren't you?". Dr. Muller told us, (there were three of us having Organ lessons) and said "You in particular have to be very careful whom you associate with". It was very interesting having lessons from a German who spoke no English and we spoke no German. We had to communicate in Portuguese.
JARay
The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 made the wearing of clerical dress in public by Catholic clergy an offence, punishable by a £50 fine. However, this provision was never really enforced and was finally repealed in 1926. Except, it seems in the English Catholic seminaries, where this particular remnant of No Popery is clearly alive and well
I found all these comments very interesting, coming mainly from men who, unlike myself, have had experience of seminary life.
JARAy's second comment, (if I have understood him correctly) that in the old days the cassock was something of a constraint, makes me wonder if the initial casting aside of the cassock in the revolutionary days of the 1960s was done more in a spirit of emancipation from the old rules. If this was the case, I can understand it, though I could never agree with it. I am not a revolutionary.
But I don't understand why this mentality has lasted so long. Yes, I know many places are still in a sort of time warp. But after all, the heady days of the 1960s are a long time ago. The cultural revolution is over. Yet nowadays, apart from a few religious houses like the Oratorians, and some courageous diocesan priests, only the new traditional communities like FSSP and ICKSP seem to wear clerical dress habitually.
As a layman, I still find it very strange, and I don't like it. For a whole list of reasons (but mainly because I find them more approachable) I prefer priests and religious to look like priests and religious, and I don't think I'm in a minority.
Perhaps along the same lines as JARay, I can understand how individuals can "assume" someone in Clericals to be fully ordained and possessing faculties.
I once knew of a Seminarian who attended to a housebound parishoner with the Blessed Sacrament. His attire and his wearing of the alb in the house led the infirm parishoner to make a confession to him, and he in turn, administered "absolution". He was a 3rd year student.
Whilst i'm sure that chap could have stopped the confession with tact and diplomacy (never mind his illicit behaviour), i am left wondering that if his attire was that of a layman, would things have been different?
(Suffice to say the chap in question's persuit of Priestly vocation came to an very shortly afterwards!)
What a difference 20 years made! In the 1960s such norms would not have been necessary. All seminarians – secular and regular – wore cassocks or habits.
Shortly after noon each day, the piazza outside the Gregorian was awash in color:
Trinitarians - looking like crusaders with their blue and red crosses on habit and cloak.
Camillians – similar to the Trinitarians but with an all-red cross.
Legionaries of Christ – in basic black, but all wearing the Saturno.
Franciscans and Capuchins in brown or black
Carmelites – calced and discalced.
A rare Cistercian or Trappist.
An occasional Dominican with full tonsure (lots more of them at the Angelicum, of course).
The national secular colleges: English, Irish, Scots, French, German, American… The Germans in particular stood out in bright red/orange cassocks.
And, when Vatican II was in session, some Bishops, Cardinals or Eastern Rite ecclesiastics in flowing robes.
Of course, this was before the Greg or Angelicum admitted lay or female students, so every student you met was either a seminarian or a priest doing post-graduate studies.
Memories…
I can assure ebomania that no one I knew would ever have been so silly as to hear anyone's confession when one was but a seminarian.
As it happens, I was once asked by a housebound lady if I could hear her confession. I assured her that could not!
This particular post is, no doubt dying the death but perhaps I might just add one further little bit. We, os Inglesinous were well known on the streets of Lisbon and I remember one occasion when I chanced upon the President of Portugal, Dr. Antonio Salazar, in the street. He smiled at me, bowed his head and raised his hat. He knew I was a seminarian, but he treated me with dignity. I have never forgotten that occasion.
As I said, the wearing of clerical dress in the street makes the wearer acutely aware of what witness he is giving to all those in the street.
I never let that slip from my mind.
Although, in the end I never became a priest, I was a representative of all those who were priests.
JARay
Desculpe me,
I have forgotten how long it is since I spoke Portuguese.
I have misspelled the word Inglesinhos.
The English College, Lisbon was in the Travessa dos Inglesinhos.
Inglesinhos means "little Englishmen".
Oh dear!
It's old age I suppose!
JARay
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