COMEBACK FOR CASSOCKS TO REPLACE PRIESTLY 'CASUALS'
Based on an informal survey of clerical clothing shops in Rome and Milan, the following trends are noted:
First, cassocks are back for priests - the classic one, in all its simple sobriety. This reverses the casual trend in priestly dressing noted over the past 2-3 decades.
Nuns, however, would prefer to have habits other than black. The less traditional and newer orders choose light grey, beige or blue.
Many cardinals now choose to have a more streamlined silhouette and finer,lighter fabrics for for their outer robes, as opposed to bulky clothing that drapes the figure indifferently.
It isn't clear what dictates the trends for priestly pret-a-porter. Certainly, not any explicit instructions from the Pope. But, say some of the clerical tailors, it's probably a reflection of Pope Benedict's own style, which is always correct but elegant.
Raniero Mancinelli, whose company has dressed Popes and Cardinals for decades, says there is no question who the most elegant man in the Church is.
"It's the Pope. All you have to do is look at him. It's true that there were some little mishaps the first few days, but now, he cannot be faulted. There are little refinements that add to the elegance. For instance," he says, "he has chosen to use the Papal oversleeve, which Papa Wojtyla did not." Not to mention that the Pope has 'dusted off" various papal headgear appropriate for the season or the weather.
As for the comeback of the cassock, Mancinelli notes: "Before Papa Ratzinger, priests were generally rather cavalier about the way they dressed. Now they are more attentive. With John Paul II, many priests tended to be rather 'sportive' in their look, even for ceremonies. Now, the cassock is de rigueur."
He recalls a priest who came to get new cassocks and said, "I haven't worn one of these in 20 years."
A clerical clothing shop in Verona begs to differ, however. Its owner claims that priests in northern Italy still prefer to be casual. "They go to regular shops for their clothing, not to us."
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By the way, it may seem strange to Western eyes, but a Pope travelling to a tropical country will find himself amid a sea of priests and nuns all dressed in white! In the Philippines, I grew up among bishops, priests and nuns all dressed in pristine white. White,is of course, a concession to the weather. Imagine the perpetual penance of having to wear black robes all the time in a country where the average temprature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, with 90% humidity! (On the other hand, that's not such a bad idea perhaps?)
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 09/01/2007 5.11]