I read something sometime ago that part of the reasons for the robes and pope and all the glitz is the leadership at that time wanted their church to resemble the Roman magistrates at that time....they coveted the honor given the Gov. leaders and so copied many of Romes leaderships. They believed they were "entitled" to the same honor by the people.
I don't know whether to be amused or bemused by the dearth of any real attempts by FRoman Catholics to discuss the topics of these recent threads. It seems the majority that do participate at all only offer snark, insults and assertions of things they never seem able to prove with any real, unbiased facts.
We get bombarded with accusations of hatred and nefarious motives just for posting articles that explain why non-Catholic Christians believe as we do and invite others to explain why they may believe differently. The perpetually offended and persecuted minority never seems to recognize their opportunities to educate others about their beliefs and, instead, only complain that anyone has the right to post such things at all. It's almost like they think the Free Republic Religion Forum belongs to Catholic Freepers and nothing critical of their religion should ever be allowed. I'm grateful for this site and prove it every month with my contributions. I'd be curious to see how some of the most vociferous FRomans compare in their donations.