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White outfit, wrong occasion, Cherie (Cherie Blair didn't wear black to meet the Pope)
UK Telegraph ^
| 4/29/06
| Malcolm Moore and Jonathan Petre
Posted on 04/29/2006 7:27:04 PM PDT by wagglebee
Cherie Blair provoked surprise in the Vatican and the ire of a Roman Catholic MP yesterday by wearing all-white to meet the Pope, a privilege normally reserved for Catholic Queens.
The Vatican convention is that females meeting the Pontiff should wear black, preferably with a black veil, or mantilla.
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Cherie Blair with Pope Benedict
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When the Queen met Pope John Paul II six years ago, she observed the code meticulously.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, wore black, but omitted the veil.
By contrast, Mrs Blair, a staunch Catholic, chose to exercise the "privilege du blanc", usually granted only to the wives of Catholic monarchs.
Her breach of the protocol was surprising, since she has kept closely to the Church's dress code in the past.
Mrs Blair may not have worn a hat to the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales but she mourned the passing of John Paul II in a mantilla.
Technically, only three women should wear white in the presence of the Pope.
They are Queen Sofia of Spain, Queen Paola of Belgium and Josephine Charlotte, the wife of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. Queen Sofia exercised her privilege in a meeting with the previous Pope in 2003.
Ann Widdecombe, the former Tory minister and a convert to Catholicism, was scathing about Mrs Blair.
"Even the Queen wore black to meet the Pope," she said. "This shows that she has a very grand idea of herself.
"She is a Catholic. She knows what the tradition is when meeting the Pope.
"She obviously thinks she is the first lady.
"My message to her is 'You are not a Catholic Queen, my dear, and you never will be.' "
Mrs Blair was in Rome for a Church-organised conference entitled "Vanishing Youth? Solidarity with Children and Young People in an Age of Turbulence".
She was invited as an expert and remained afterwards for a private meeting with the Pope. A spokesman for the Vatican declined to reveal what they had discussed.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholicbashing; catholicchurch; cherieblair; fauxpas; gracekillers; herecomesthebashing; popebenedictxvi; protocol; vatican
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To: wagglebee
Maybe Mrs. Blair she had a bad case of dunduff
My bet is the Pope lived though it, white outfit and all
21
posted on
04/29/2006 7:43:35 PM PDT
by
Popman
("What I was doing wasn't living, it was dying. I really think God had better plans for me.")
To: wagglebee
I wonder who the idiot was who let her make this blunder.Excellent question.
22
posted on
04/29/2006 7:44:18 PM PDT
by
starfish923
(Socrates: It's never right to do wrong.)
To: wagglebee
I wonder is she did this on purpose. I can't imagine why she would unless she is making a statement against Monarchies in general. That would be strange since she is English. I know non Catholics might think this petty but Catholics have lost quite a little bit of tradition under the guise of "getting back to basics". Also its a matter of politeness.
To: operation clinton cleanup
Best Vice President ever!Sure....but that is only because Reagan never served as Veep.....There really should be a star after the award!
24
posted on
04/29/2006 7:46:18 PM PDT
by
Onelifetogive
(* Sarcasm tag ALWAYS required. For some FReepers, sarcasm can NEVER be obvious enough.)
To: starfish923
It was answered in Post #7.
25
posted on
04/29/2006 7:46:24 PM PDT
by
TaMoDee
To: wagglebee
However, if his wife wanted to let the Holy Father know that he had converted, why not just tell him. Because then he would have to step down!!! (If the secret was out!)
26
posted on
04/29/2006 7:50:09 PM PDT
by
Full Court
(Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.)
To: wagglebee
"I wonder who the idiot was who let her make this blunder."
Does it matter? Nobody would mistake her for the Pope, even if both are wearing white.
27
posted on
04/29/2006 7:51:04 PM PDT
by
GSlob
To: hoosierham
"..the Roman Catholic Church concerns itself too much with appearances.." According to the article, it wasn't anybody in the Catholic hierarchy who objected, it was a British member of parliament.
If I had to take a wild guess, I'd guess it's one who doesn't care for Cherie Blair.
28
posted on
04/29/2006 7:52:21 PM PDT
by
Mrs. Don-o
(Nihil humani mihi alienum.)
To: wagglebee
Does it really matter? This is just so petty. There are serious problems in the world, including problems of spiritual nature, and to make a fuss over this just trivializes that.
The pontiff didn't seem to mind.
To: wagglebee
At least she didn't wear a T-Shirt with a picture of Mohammed on it.
30
posted on
04/29/2006 7:52:58 PM PDT
by
RightWingAtheist
(Creationism is to conservatism what Howard Dean is to liberalism)
To: wagglebee
I guess it's better than the time the native woman came to the meeting with the pope WITHOUT a shirt.
31
posted on
04/29/2006 7:54:17 PM PDT
by
Full Court
(Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.)
To: catholicfreeper
Whether or not people are Catholic is irrelevant. The Pope is a recognized head of state and as such there is recognized protocol.
32
posted on
04/29/2006 7:54:29 PM PDT
by
wagglebee
("We are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom." -- President Bush, 1/20/05)
To: GSlob
Well, I really think the issue here also is violating a protocol that is reserved for Queens of Royal lines that have remained loyal to the Church. There not many left in Catholic lands. I suppose one day Monaco might have a Catholic queen but I can't recall if Grace Kelly ever held that title. In fact, I ma not sure if Rainier was ever a King at all.
To: wagglebee
Whether or not people are Catholic is irrelevant. The Pope is a recognized head of state and as such there is recognized protocol. You're right. In addition to the cautions I posted in #4, you should brush the Stetson down real good too.
34
posted on
04/29/2006 7:57:24 PM PDT
by
Coyoteman
(Interim tagline: The UN 1967 Outer Space Treaty is bad for America and bad for humanity - DUMP IT!)
To: wagglebee
Act 10:25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
Act 10:26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.Quite a difference between the "first pope" and the ones that followed...
If someone would have tried to kiss Peter's hand, Peter would have decked him...
35
posted on
04/29/2006 7:58:18 PM PDT
by
Iscool
(You mess with me, you mess with the whole trailer park...)
To: wagglebee
Hey I agree. I am all for tradition. I am sometimes shocked how some people dress when they meet the President in the oval office.
To: Onelifetogive
Yeah wake me up when the THOUSANDS of teachers who molest children get as much press as priests did.
Care to compare the numbers'?
37
posted on
04/29/2006 7:58:33 PM PDT
by
Sonar5
(62 Million+ have Spoken Clearly - "We Want Our Country Back")
To: catholicfreeper
I presume that Mrs. Blair has occasion to meet Queen Elizabeth on a very regular basis and has always followed traditional protocol when doing that.
38
posted on
04/29/2006 8:00:26 PM PDT
by
wagglebee
("We are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom." -- President Bush, 1/20/05)
To: Sonar5
Yeah wake me up when the THOUSANDS of teachers who molest children get as much press as priests did. You are comparing your church to government-run schools?
"Hey, the leaders of my church are as upstanding and honorable as government bureaucrats...."
Nice standards you have there.....
39
posted on
04/29/2006 8:01:06 PM PDT
by
Onelifetogive
(* Sarcasm tag ALWAYS required. For some FReepers, sarcasm can NEVER be obvious enough.)
To: wagglebee
Are you kidding me? the color of clothes is a blunder in the Catholic Church? how retarded.
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