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Did You See What the Pope Is Wearing?!?

Benedict brings back vintage papal styles; Catholics wonder why

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 17, 2008 3:13 PM CDT

(Newser) – Benedict XVI is wearing some pretty flashy, and pretty old-school, outfits, and pope-watchers the world over are atwitter, the Washington Post reports. Unlike his predecessor, who “would just wear whatever was given to him,” the current pontiff is reaching into a closet that dates back hundreds of years, causing some to wonder whether “this old-fashioned 'character' also comes with an old-style authoritarianism.”

A top adviser to the pope was quick to play down any reactionary agenda; “these aren’t new things,” he said. The interpretations are endless: One bishop saw a woolen cloak as a signal the pontiff hoped to reunite the Eastern and Western churches. And let’s not leave out the materialists: One blogger noted that the cross Benedict wore in Washington had “major bling.”

Pope Benedict XVI arrives for Vespers in the Crypt at the Basilica of the National Shrine.
Pope Benedict XVI arrives for Vespers in the Crypt at the Basilica of the National Shrine.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Pope Benedict XVI, sporting a fur-trimmed hat.
Pope Benedict XVI, sporting a fur-trimmed hat.   (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A bishop ponders.
A bishop ponders.   (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
Pope Benedict XVI takes part in a Mass, Thursday, April 17, 2008, at Washington Nationals stadium.
Pope Benedict XVI takes part in a Mass, Thursday, April 17, 2008, at Washington Nationals stadium.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Members of the Knights of Columbus.
Members of the Knights of Columbus.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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