mjo

Can anyone confirm whether men have to wear a jacket and tie for the indoor papal audience?
My husband doesn't want to pack it unless he is forced to.Thanks- we leave tomorrow.

Zerlina

*Indoor* papal audience? In June?

I suspect that you will not have a private papal audience (for which there are strict protocol rules}; there is no dress code for the outdoor Wednesday audiences, so no, your husband not have to wear a jacket and tie.

mjo

So you are saying that the audiences in June are alwasy outside? Why do you think I was told to go pick up a ticket the day before if it's outside?

You are right , I don't have a "private" audience- I was told they have about 7000 people in the Hall but the tickets get you in and assign you to a section.
Thanks!

marginal_margiela

I would wear a Balenciaga ballgown, to try and match the pope's own frilly gown. However, I would not wear black taffeta, which seems to be all the rage with the nouveau rich, during the summer months. Tres louche, sweetie darling.

Remember what happended to Bette Davis in Jezebel?????

Love you, hate your red Prada shoes.

Zerlina

http://www.santasusanna.org/popeVati...peVatican.html

marginal_margiela

Zerlina, I just went to the website you posted. The pope's teeth are HORRIBLE!! With all that money, you'd think he'd go out and get some Da Vinci veneers. Somebody get me a brush and a makeup kit.

He really needs a new PR team and some Queer Eyes.

Dukey

Marginal, you should be half as boffed as Bette Davis was.

PalenQ

So for an indoor audience i have it right: Jesus in his garb would be refused entry to his highness' audience?

Why all this fancy protocol in a church preaching Jesus' austerity?

Boggles my mind - God would want a Pope to dazzle in his attire and not dress like a common many? - he could also fix his teeth it seems.

sheila

I, OTOH, was completely gobsmacked by teh question for the opposit reason. This man is the head of the Catholic Church. Why WOULD you bother to go and see him and not show the utmost respect?

I don't expect him to disrespect you, if he bumps intp you in the street in your shorts and teeshirt, but you're going ESPECIALLY to have an audince and be blessed by him.

Take a flippin' suit, for heavens' sakes. Or at least hire one.

WillTravel

People dress all sorts of ways at the papal audience. An Italian high school group in front of me was dressed quite casually. However, I was moved by how sweet they were. I would wear at least business casual clothing, but it's up to you, so long as you are properly covered.

kenderina

The tickets get you in...the fences they put on the Piazza It's an outdoor audience even in winter (some days it is not then, but believe me , none of these days is near summer). I was in January in Rome and the papal audience was outdoors.
And no, he doesn't have to wear a jacket and a tie. Not even a jacket. Only requirement is the same that for entering the church, no shoulders or knees uncovered. They don't want people faint there due to the heat
A private audience is a totally diferrent thing.

kerouac

The dress code is different all over the world, and the pope is supposed to embrace the entire planet. I can't imagine an African wearing his finest boubou being requested to trade it in for a jacket and tie. Catholic with a small "c" means universal.

Liam

<<I would wear a Balenciaga ballgown, to try and match the pope's own frilly gown.>>

Please -- for Benedict it's all Prada, darling.

flanneruk

Sheila:

Have you ever been to a public audience? There's thousands of you. It's boiling hot: place is a suntrap. Practically no-one's in anything more serious than slacks and polo shirts. (unless your bloody headmaster's insisted you all wear school uniform - for which you're sure you must be going to get at least a century off Purgatory, so you'll be able to try and get lucky with that girl in the hostel tonight.)

These are CATHOLICS in a hot country. We're not a bunch of uptight Calvinists on the edge of the Arctic Circle. We don't do dress codes. Unless there's a psychopathic Jesuit forcing you to at ferula point.

Christina

I find it kind of odd that someone would expect a man to wear a suit and tie to meet the pope when the pope won't wear such an outfit himself. I guess he's not fit to meet himself. He wears medieval robes or dresses, basically, so I don't think he can expect a suit and tie.

I think Pucci is maybe a little more appropriate -- you know, I LOVE the Swiss guards' outfits, those are really outstanding, and I was thinking because they are so striking and colorful (nary a suit jacket or tie to be found), that was a little more Pucci. The Medici blue with red and gold is excellent with the frilly white color.

kerouac

I am understanding more and more why I no longer have any interest in any religion.

It appears that too many people are expecting constraints, rules, obligations, directives or decrees for totally superficial matters that have nothing to do with morals, faith or just the act of trying to live one's life as a good person.

kenderina

I fully agree with you, kerouac

sheila

Michael, too funny!

I think you're showing your roots, sweetie

flanneruk

Kerouac:

In over half a century of intermittent Mass atendance, I've never encountered anyone in authority in the Catholic church give a monkey's what people wear.

Admittedly my accursed headmaster expected us to get dolled up in Castelgandolfo - but in fairness that was just so he could keep track of us all, since the sod knew perfectly well no-one else would be mad enough to wear stuff that hot.

Only when I started contributing to this board did I realise there were Catholic churches in Italy with dress codes. I've always worn what I like to church, whether in Europe - including Italy - the US or Asia, and in this I've not differed in any way from the rest of the congregation.

There are lots of good reasons for being sceptical about organised religion. Non-existent dress codes really aren't among them.

PalenQ

Jesus, or at least the mythical Jesus, dressed as a common man - he i think would have opposed putting on airs and fancy costumes to glorify God - that's always been so oxymoronic about popes, bishops, the like - putting themselves above the common bloke.

extant from days when popes lived like kings i think and totally against what i perceive the teachings of the mythical jesus to be.

And all those glorious cathedrals, built by forced taxes on poorest folks, God, if he or she or it existed would revolt at that as well.