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

[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.

	Cherie Blair with Pope Benedict

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.

[SuziQ]

The Vatican convention is that females meeting the Pontiff should wear black, preferably with a black veil, or mantilla.

I'm sorry, but just who started THAT silly rule! I hardly EVER wear black; too depressing, and unless you're some sort of grieving widow, why would you wear it anyway?

Does anyone truly imagine that the Pope would actually be OFFENDED by a women wearing something bright and colorful when she meets him?

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

I lived in Wyoming for five years. Cheney's winter attire is perfectly acceptable throughout his home state.

[wagglebee]

When Queen Elizabeth met Pope John Paul II in the Vatican, she wore black.

However, when the Pope met with her in England, she wore blue. The difference, was in England, the Pope was HER guest.

[Havoc]

He doesn't know, just likely a kneejerk /snide remark. Most of them wouldn't know biblical if it bit them. There have been studies that make that case so well they don't bother contesting it anymore lol.

[SoCalPol]

*under British law, Blair cannot remain PM if he is not a member of the Church of England, but I may be wrong about that*


Margaret Thatcher is a Methodist.

[jla]

Now that doesn't sound good,kneeling before other men sounds a bit unbiblical to me.

Jesus knelt before men and washed their feet.

[Havoc]

Um, I haven't forgotten. It just rubs them to have it cited to them.. ;)

[wagglebee]

Really, who does he think he is. Pope is a religious title unknown to Christianity. It may be known to Catholics; but, that's sorta part of my point.

Do you have the slightest idea how ignorant you sound? Do you have the vaguest notion of the history of the Church and Protestantism?

[wagglebee]

Then obviously I was wrong.

[Sloth]

What absurd pettiness.

[Pappy Smear]

Reminds me of an event a few years back when the Queen of England came to the US, and went to visit the projects somewhere. She went to the house of what you might consider a stereotypical project resident, a large, boisterous, friendly black woman.

When the queen entered the house, the woman gave the queen a big hug. Everyone was appalled that a mere commoner (albeit from the US) would dare hug the queen. The lady said something to the effect, "When I have visitors to my house, they get hugs."

I like to think that the queen needed to be subjected to the "protocol" of a loving household in the projects.

[catholicfreeper]

Thanks for the pics. I really don't know why people hate protocal and tradition. People never dress up the proper way anymore. Its all so frustrating.

[Polybius]

Mrs Blair, a staunch Catholic, chose to exercise the "privilege du blanc", usually granted only to the wives of Catholic monarchs.

Well, she is Catholic and she is the British equivalent of "First Lady", so, that seems to be the modern day equivalent of a "Catholic Queen".

The bottom line is that her pillow talk is more politically powerful than Prince Phillip's pillow talk.

[wagglebee]

Generally, it is the guest rather than the host who conforms to protocol.

[Coyoteman]

Re: Your tagline, "Sloth (Archaeologists test for intelligent design all the time.)"

We find it too. We study the heck out of it, and generally radiocarbon date it, and often get results well past 6,000 years ago.

And so far, what we find has all done by people much like you and me. Technology may have been a little more primitive back then, but the people themselves were every bit as advanced as we are; some possibly more civilized.

So, you aren't really implying that archaeology "proves" creation and ID, are you?

[dhs12345]

It is after Labor Day. Or is that before. I forget.

[Havoc]

We aren't talking about history, we're talking about Christianity. The office of "Pope" or "Vicar of Christ" is a late invention. It didn't exist at the time of Christ. It was not ordained by Christ. It had nothing whatever to do with the ministry of the Apostles. And it is nowhere in the Christian Covenant.

Covenant. Know what the word means? It's a legal term. God wrote the Covenant and sealed it in Christ's blood, handing it to us on a 'take it or leave it' basis. There is no editorial authority given to men. None.

Now, you can tell us about history; but, all that tells us is that a bunch of men usurped athority they do not and did not possess and have no right to wield under the covenant.
They did the same thing with the Canon of Scripture - usurping the authority of the Jews to Whome Paul notes plainly were given authority over the Oracles of God - the Old covenant in other words. So it would seem we have to define our terms, huh. Christian means one thing when reading scripture and is twisted into quite another by "history". So for this conversation, I think we need to look at the authoritative speaker with regard to the issue - that would be scripture. And scripture makes no mention of any office of "Pope" aka "vicar of Christ". Nowhere. Doesn't exist and is a Catholic Usurpation.

Anything else?

[Havoc]

I think it's good when someone that thinks they're "all that" gets a little lesson in humility.

[hoosierham]

Perhaps because much of proper dress was ostentatious display ? And what is fashionable goes through wild variations but modest dress changes little.

Style over substance or substance over style?

[catholicfreeper]

Also the New Testament doesnt mention the word Trinity either buts the reality of the Trinity is in the scriptures. I mean we can have this argument all night. Catholics have biblical proofs for the Papacy as well as proofs from Holy Tradition.