Pontificalia

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(PONTIFICALS).

The collective name given for convenience sake to those insignia of the episcopal order which of right are worn bybishops alone. In its broader sense the term may be taken to include all the items of attire proper tobishops, even those belonging to their civil or choir dress, for example thecappa magna, or the hat with its green cord and lining. But more strictly and accurately, rubricians limit the pontificals to those ornaments which aprelate wears in celebrating pontifically. The pontificals common to all are enumerated byPius VII in his constitution "Decet Romanos" (4 July, 1823), and are eight in number:buskins, sandals, gloves,dalmatic, tunicle, ring,pectoral cross, andmitre. Whenabbots, prothonotaries apostolic, and in some cases canons, receive byindult from theHoly See the privilege of celebratingcum pontificalibus, these eight ornaments are meant. The use of them is ordinarily restricted--for Abbots to their ownmonastery or places within theirjurisdiction, for canons to their own church, and for prothonotaries to those places for which the ordinary gives his consent. Moreover, whilebishops andcardinals may wear most of these things in all solemnecclesiastical functions, those who enjoy them bypapal indult may only exercise this privilege in the celebration of Mass. Several other restrictions distinguish the pontifical Mass of such inferiorprelates from that ofbishops orcardinals. The former are not allowed tobless the people as they pass through the church; they have noright to a seventhcandle on the altar; they vest in thesacristy and not in the sanctuary; they do not use faldstool, orbugia, orgremiale, orcrosier, or Canon, and they are attended by no assistantpriest; they do not say "Pax vobis", and they only wash their hands once, i.e. at the offertory. The legislation upon this subject is to be found in the above-mentioned constitution ofPius VII, supplemented by the "Apostolic Sedis officium" ofPius IX (26 Aug., 1872) and the Motu Proprio ofPius X, "Inter multiplices" (21 Feb., 1905). With regard to the ornaments just mentioned and other such pontificals or quasi-pontificals as the manteletta, mozzetta,rationale,rochet, etc. nearly all will be found separately treated in their alphabetical order. Thebuskins (caligæ) are large silk leg-coverings put on over the ordinary stockings and gaiters and tied with a ribbon. Thegremiale is simply an apron of silk or linen which is spread over abishop's lap when he is seated or using theholy oils. The "Canon" is aliturgical book containing nothing but the Canon of the Mass, which is used instead of thealtar cards when abishop pontificates. Thepallium and thearchiepiscopal cross may also be mentioned, but they form ordinarily the special insignia of anarchbishop.

The practice of conceding the use of certain of the pontificals toprelates of inferior rank is one of ancient date. A grant ofdalmatic and sandals to theAbbot ofMetz is recorded in the year 970 (Jaffé, "Regesta" 374). In the eleventh centuryPope Leo IX granted the use of themitre to the Canons of Besan on and ofBamberg (Jaffé, 4249 and 4293). The earliest known concession of themitre to the ruler of a monastic house is that made to Abbot Egelsinus ofSt. Augustine's,Canterbury, in 1063. At a somewhat later date the grants of pontifical insignia to monastic superiors and otherprelates are of constant occurrence in thepapal "Regesta". To obtain such distinctions became a point of rivalry among all the greaterabbeys, the more so that such concessions were by no means always made in the same form or with the same amplitude, while subsequentindults often extended the terms of previous grants. Thus while, as noticed above, the concession of themitre to St. Augustine's,Canterbury, in one of the earliest instances on record, the use of the tunicle anddalmatic at High Mass was only granted to the sameabbey byGregory IX in 1238 (Bliss, "Papal Registers", I, 170). In 1251Innocent IV conceded to the Prior of Coventry and his successor the use of the ring only. It might be worn at all times and in all places except in celebratingMass (ibid., 268). To the Prior ofWinchester, on the other hand, only three years later, the samepope,Innocent IV, granted a much more ample concession in virtue of which he might usemitre, ring, tunic,dalmatic, gloves, and sandals, mightblesschalices, altar cloths, etc., might confer the firsttonsure as well as theminor orders of ostiarius andlector, and bestow the episcopal benediction at High Mass and at table (ibid., 395). It will be noticed that thecrosier is not here included. But it was included in a grant to theAbbot of Selby byAlexander IV in 1256 (ibid., 331). In many of theseindults a restriction was imposed that pontifical ornaments were not to be worn in the presence of thebishop of thediocese, but even here distinctions were made. For exampleUrban V, in 1365, allowed the Prior ofWorcester to wear the plainmitre and ring in presence of thebishop, and in his absence to wear the preciousmitre and ring and episcopal vestments, and to give his solemn benediction. (Bliss, IV, 48.) Not unfrequently it was specified that such pontificals might be worn in parliaments and councils "whenever anyprelates belowbishops wear theirmitre". One most extraordinary series of concessions, to which attention has recently been called in the English Historical Review (Jan., 1911, p. 124), where the documents are printed, first bestows upon theAbbot of St. Osyth theright to use themitre and other pontificals (Bliss, V, 334), and then gives power to confer not only theminor orders andsubdiaconate but thediaconate andpriesthood. This grant made byBoniface IX, in 1397, during the great Schism, was cancelled by the samepope six years afterwards at the request of theBishop ofLondon.

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