My stepson came home the other night and told us that when a pope dies, someone first hollers his name three times to make sure he’s not just sleeping. Then, they tap on his head three times with a hammer, supposedly hard enough to leave an imprint of the papal seal on his forehead. His ring bearing his papal seal is then destroyed so it can’t be used again.
I had heard about the ring part, but I was sure that the yelling and hammering was an error. Turns out that it’s largely true (I googled it).
Apparently one of the Pope’s officials is supposed to call out his name three times and if they get no response they do indeed tap (not bang) on his head three times with a small gold or silver hammer. Again, this is to make sure he’s really deceased.
Has anyone else heard about this? Any idea of the origin of this odd custom?
Interesting. I saw a news clip yesterday of some cardinal, during the funeral procession, swing something like a hammer three times in the air (perhaps it was incense) over the head of the pope as he was being carried through the street. I think there must be all kinds of rituals, based mostly on superstitions of the ancient past.
I also heard one about the white smoke and black smoke that rises from the vatican chimney. Has to do with when a new pope is chosen or something like that.
I have the highest respect for the church’s right to follow it’s ancient rituals and don’t want to start anything but, both my wife and I are slightly creeped out by the way they him propped up on display.
The ritual of the smoke is from the days long ago before mass communications… people were waiting all around the city to learn if a new Pope had been chosen. The smoke was the fastest and most efficient way to relay that message. Black smoke = ‘No decision after this last ballot’, and white smoke = “We have a new Pope”.
Interestingly enough, the tradition of announcing that the Pope had died was broken on this occasion: The media were alerted via e-mail.
This isn’t really any different than any wake that is held, where the deceased is laid out in the coffin/casket and is lying in state. Open caskets are pretty much the norm, at least here in the USA, where mourners can come in to the funeral home, pay their last respects, etc. “viewing hours” is the way the funeral director terms it.
The only difference here is that there are hundreds of thousands of mourners who wish to pay their respects, so having the Pope lie in state is the best way to do that… it’d take weeks if they put him in your basic funeral home room which might hold 60 or so people at one time. I’ve read this morning where the line of mourners waiting to view the Pope’s body is more than 2 miles long.
The man had impact on so many lives. May he rest in peace.
yeas (forgive me for posting all over the place but I love this stuff)
in the days before modern doctors it was very easy to bury people alive, and taking steps to elect a new pope while the other one is still alive can cause major problems. I don’t think they do the hammer anymore, but they do the name thing.
I believe what you saw him swinging was not a hammer but the aspergillum, which is a thing that’s dipped into holy water and used to sprinkle the parishioners, the coffin, the pope’s body - whatever you want to bless. It’s specially designed to catch a bit of water, but minimize dripping so the water can be ‘flung’
the cardinals will take two votes a day by writing the name of the guy they want on paper. after each vote the papers are burned. if the vote fails to elect a pope, the papers are mixed with wet hay, producing black smoke. the successful vote is burned without the hay, producing white smoke. This was a signal that, during a time of lower archetecture, could be seen throughout the city so that people could begin to gather for the announcement and presentation of the new pope “urbi et orbis” (to the city and the world)
I googled Ian Paisley to see what he had to say. He said that Catholics were “entitled” to mourn the Pope. Nice to know that he was gracious enough to give his permission. :roll:
