The Pope with a Chotki

The Deacon's Bench ^ | July 26, 2013 | Deacon Greg Kandra

[NYer]

Catholic / Orthodox ping!

[Biggirl]

Never saw the Pope with a prayer rope before. A first for me.

[firebasecody]

When I was new to Orthodoxy (only a few years ago), I asked one of our parishoners, a Russian refugee, “What are these called (pointing to my chotki)”. She got a very earnest look on her face and said slowly “Prayer rope” with her heavy accent. I laughed and said, “Oh, I meant in Russian.” We both had a hearty laugh over that.

Perhaps Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch, and this Pope can bring us closer together. Praise God!

[ZinGirl]

one should not be ostentatious or conspicuous in displaying the prayer rope for others to see.

oops

[SumProVita]

More than likely... he simply forgot he was using it. There are stories of him meeting people on the street earlier in Argentina. He would quickly pull his hand out of his pocket to greet a person with a handshake and the rosary would be attached.

[yldstrk]

Love it, he is a prayer warrior

[imardmd1]

See the last sentence. I learned in high school Latin that “All roads lead to Rome.”

[ZinGirl]

he simply forgot he was using it

Then he should maybe consider not wearing it.

It would seem to be a pretty important requirement of wearing it properly would be to use it as privately as possible, thereby not coming across as "LOOK WHAT I'M USING", as he is in that picture.

[Salvation]

Pope Francis is so humble that bragging about a prayer rope around his wrist would be the last thing he would do.

Are you not aware that while he was the Archbishop in Argentina he rode the bus to work?

That’s humility!

[NYer]

Then he should maybe consider not wearing it.

Perhaps I am missing something here. Why do you feel it is wrong for Pope Francis to have a prayer rope around his hand? Do you disagree with him having a crucifix around his neck, as well?

[Mrs. Don-o]

I'm always losing rosaries or ruining, or breaking them. I don't know anybody as destructive of rosaries as I am. If I cook with a pulsera or decenario on, it gets into the mustard; if I'm gardening, I trail it into the fish emulsion. I lose one in the worm box. Another goes through the washer and dryer, and the plastic beads melt. I'm frying potato pancakes and the little plastic cross gets dunked in hot fat, shrinks into a blob.

I must have lost dozens of them: lost, ruined or got them so dirty they made my wrist smell bad.

I hope this is not a metaphor.

Oh, and there are moments of grace. Once I was just walking down the street near DuPont Circle in Washington DC fingering the beads and saying my silent prayers, and a random guy came up and matched pace beside me and launched into a conversation.

• "You a nun?"

  "No."

• "But you're a Christian, right?"

  "Yes"

• "Would you pray for my brother? He's a dope addict."

  "What's his name?"

• "Manfred. He's an intelligent guy. Talented. He's really just pissing his life away. [Insert a paragraph of surprisingly intimate details.] Would you pray for him?"

  "Of course."

• "And pray for me too, willya? I'm --- I'm not such a good guy. What do you think about abortion?"

  "I think it's murder."

• "Yeah, right, well my wife murdered our second kid. Actually, it would have been the second and the third one, she murdered two of them. What do you think happens to them?"

  "I'm sorry, what do you mean?"

• "I mean, do they go to heaven, or do their souls just dissolve or something?"

  "They are--- they are in the Mercy of God. That's all I know. Jesus said, 'Let the little ones come unto Me.'"

• "OK. Now what's the deal with Confession? I think I'd scare the priest right outta the box. A couple years ago I really messed up. I was in the Army..."

And on and on. He must have kept talking for 5 - 10 minutes, until my bus came: I boarded, and he turned and walked down the street. A needy soul: and who would he have talked to --- a bartender, maybe? --- if he hadn't seen my rosary?

[Salvation]

The first part of your post is funny.

The the second part — wow! What a story! All because of a rosary.

[Alex Murphy]

...one should not be ostentatious or conspicuous in displaying the prayer rope for others to see....Oops

Upon seeing the photo, that was my very first thought as well.

[Biggirl]

It also is not only a sign of growing eccumenical unity, but as a special message to Catholics to treat our roseries with respect, which includes not wearing them jewely.

[The_Reader_David]

There's that understatement again: there is no record of a Patriarch of Constantinople attending the installation of a Pope of Rome prior to the new Pope, not just since the schism. Unless one of the Popes of Rome elected while in residence in Constantinople (there were a few) was elevated to his office before leaving the capital (of which we have no record) Bartholomew was the first Patriarch of Constantinople ever to be present at a papal installation.

[NYer]

I'm always losing rosaries or ruining, or breaking them. I don't know anybody as destructive of rosaries as I am.

Up until today, I considered myself the most destructive but ... you win!

Thank you for posting that personal experience. At one time, religious women would have been approached and asked for prayers. Since abandoning their habits, they are no longer recognizable. God bless your witness to the power of faith and prayer!!!

[SumProVita]

It would seem to be a pretty important requirement of wearing it properly would be to use it as privately as possible, thereby not coming across as “LOOK WHAT I’M USING”, as he is in that picture.

__________________________

Don’t you think that you may be guilty of judging his motive? Only God can know that. Why are we humans always so quick to take a negative perspective?

[SumProVita]

See post # 18.

[annalex]

The western Rosary is sometimes said to have the same initial origin [in the 150 psalms]

Of course it is the same origin. A rosary has 5 decades and is said on three sets of mysteries, Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious. That would make a Hail Mary for each psalm.

Note that an ill-advised attempt to break the relationship with introduction of a fourth set did not take.