Leo XIII with the papal cloak
The papal mantle is a liturgical garment similar to the rain cap, of which only differs in length, which was used only by the Pope in some ceremonies.
HistoryThe earliest to the use of the cape is attested by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy. Pope Nicholas III is in fact the poet with these words, which indicates the mantle as the prerogative of the Pope's function:
"If I know that both cal, they have to run the bank, however, I know I was dressed in the great mantle"
(Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy: Inf. XIX, 67/69)
The mantle was a pluvial layer with a length greater than the height of the Pope (the dimensions are variable, depending on the model and the historical period, but could be up to several meters).
They exist only in red or white colors, because they were the only ones used in the papal liturgies. Nowadays
The last Pope who wore the cloak was Paul VI. Like other liturgical ornaments it was not abolished, but it fell into disuse. A cloak that belonged to Pope John XXIII was cut and turned into a common rain cap and was used by John Paul II to commemorate the end of the Jubilee of 1983. It has been used by Benedict XVI on the occasion of the Urbi et Orbi blessing. December 25, 2007.
wiki
