Pope Francis Chides Cardinal for Biretta

(Originally published by Plinthos on December 31, 2019, 2:40 PM)

As he walked among the crowd around the Nativity Scene in Saint Peter's Square after Vespers today, Roman time, two hours ago, the Holy Father stopped before a couple of Church prelates who came alongside His Holiness within the crowd barricades as the Pontiff turned the bend to the front of the creche. One was a cardinal, red biretta in hand, and corresponding zucchetto on his head. The Holy Father turned to the other prelate, apparently a bishop, who had the scarlet zucchetto on his head, and the conversation turned to the episcopal use of the biretta. The Holy Father sarcastically remarked to the bishop without the birretta, as an aside within the hearing of the attending cardinal, that perhaps his should be scarlet, to which the prelate replied that he has never used a birretta. Then the Pope turned disdainfully to the cardinal with the birretta and had a few short words with him about the use of it. The Pontiff, making some remarks, gestured to his own head and then to the cardinal, abruptly turned around, and walked away, frowning, in obvious disgust over the clerical hat. These are a couple of screen shots from the event. In the picture below notice the inverted masonic star over the presepio.

Pope Francis exit.

Pope Francis says that "rigidity" means a man is crazy. In this context it would mean that a priest who is obedient to the Church's canonical discipline of clerical attire is crazy. It is perplexing for a Pope to demonize fidelity! He himself always wears the cassock of his clerical state and the corresponding zucchetto and blindly follows a thousand other traditions and clerical disciplines, "rigidly." But his rhetoric and some of his actions give the impression that the customs, traditions and canonical disciplines of the Church are not important. How is one to follow that? To follow that is to follow the wind wherever it might blow, or to follow whatever is politically convenient. Shall we call it, in Viganò fashion, "The McCarrick Policy." What is more, the "anti-rigid" stance is itself, ironically, rigid. It is a great source of tyrannical control in the world. In the name of tolerance they force you into tolerance, even of what is intolerable! The "tolerance" police are the most intolerant of all.

Yes, one might agree that the proper outdoor Roman hat for a Catholic prelate, especially in winter, is not the biretta but rather the clerical saturno, with cords according to the clerical rank. God grant that all of the faithful Catholic clergy wear their proper cassock and saturno for the reform of the Catholic clergy and hierarchy! for the sake of tolerance and flexibility!

Go to 1:30:20 - 1:31:36

At 1:30:20 you can see the cardinal wearing the biretta at the bottom right corner of the screen. He takes it off at the approach of His Holiness, who then chides him for having worn it.

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Inverted Pentagram Nativity Star at Vatican