THE GLOBE
PO BOX 5079 (51102)
1825 JACKSON ST.
SIOUX CITY, IA (51105)
712.255.2550
800.352.9035
WWW.CATHOLICGLOBE.ORG

History of papal tiara rooted in pope's authority

By Adam Schwend
Liturgy and Ritual

Q.   I saw a picture of Pope John XXIII with what looked like an enormous crown.  What is that?  Is it something just he wore, or is it for any pope?

A.   What you are referring to is the Papal Tiara, or Triregnum.  It is a three-tiered crown that was (and still can be) worn by popes.  If you take a look at the coat of arms of the Holy See or the coat of arms of any pope before Benedict XVI, you will see a depiction of the Papal Tiara.  It was never used for Mass or any other liturgical function, as the Papal Tiara is not a liturgical vestment.  Rather, it was used in processions and during solemn addresses and blessings.

The history of the Papal Tiara is rooted in the history of the authority of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.  From the time the Bishop of Rome took on authority over the Papal States in the 8th century, since he was a monarch, he wore a crown.  In 1298, Pope Boniface VIII added a second tier to the crown to symbolize the spiritual and temporal authority that the Pope had.  In the 14th century, a third crown was added by Benedict XII to symbolize the moral authority the Pope had over all secular kings.  There are other versions of this progression, but they are quite similar, some saying that the final crown was added as early as Pope Clement V in 1314.  

From the 14th century until the latter part of the 20th century, the pope has worn the Papal Tiara.  The symbolism of the tiara developed throughout the centuries, but the most recent Rite of Coronation used these words:  “Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art Father of Princes and Kings, Ruler of the World, Vicar of Our Savior Jesus Christ in earth, to whom is honor and glory in the ages of ages.”  Some say that the three tiaras represent the threefold offices of Christ as Priest, Prophet, and King.  Still others say that they represent the Pope’s threefold authority as  Universal Pastor (top), Universal Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction (middle) and Temporal Power (bottom).  Although there are many sets of words to describe the meaning of the three crowns in the Triregnum, they are all basically different ways of saying that the Bishop of Rome is imbued with spiritual and temporal authority.

Although I referred to “the” Papal Tiara, there is far more than one (22 that have been worn are still in existence.  A 23rd, which was presented to Pope John Paul II by the people of Hungary, has never been worn).  It was not uncommon for the home diocese of a newly elected pope to give him a tiara, as was the case with Pope John, which the questioner refers too.  One of the more prominent tiaras is the Napoleon Tiara, named as such because it was a “gift” from Napoleon to Pope Pius VII.  I put “gift” in quotations because this tiara is generally considered to be a not-so-veiled insult to Pius.  First, the tiara was widely believed to be fashioned from the jewels of other tiaras that Napoleon’s troops had stolen, the large emerald in  the monde of the tiara being from the tiara of Pope Julius II.  Second, while most tiara’s were around 3 pounds, the Napoleon Tiara was 18 pounds!  Had he actually worn it, he almost certainly would have sustained neck injuries.  Of course, he couldn’t wear it because, in yet another insult, it was several sizes too small for Pius’ head!

Controversy swam in the United States when Uriah Smith, a journalist for a newspaper owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, claimed in 1866 that the Pope (then Blessed Pius IX), on his tiara, had the words “Vicarivs Filii Dei”  (Vicar of the Son of God) written in jewels.  When the letters in this title that have Roman Numerals are all added up, you get the number 666.  Therefore, it was reasoned, the Pope must be the anti-Christ.  Now, as you can imagine, there are lots of problems with this logic.  First of all, “Vicarivs Filii Dei” is not a title claimed by the Pope.  Rather, it was found only once, in the document “The Donation of Constantine”, to refer to St. Peter, although only to his person, not his office.  Even with that said, “The Donation of Constantine”, which claimed to be written by the Emperor Constantine, was proven to be a forgery that was created in the middle ages.  Yet another problem is that this story was backed up by several witnesses who supposedly saw popes wear the tiara of Gregory XVI at Mass, and that they saw the same phrase on that tiara.  Unfortunately for their story, as noted above, the Pope doesn’t wear the tiara at Mass.  Also, all the tiaras worn by Gregory, as well as the tiara worn by Pius IX still exist.  Not only does the phrase “Vicarivs Filii Dei” not exist on the tiaras, the material that they are made of make it impossible that it ever did!  Rational people realize that this was an anti-Catholic myth, made up to discredit the Church and the Pope.

After nearly 700 years of continual use, Pope Paul VI, after the closing of the Second Vatican Council, descended the steps of the Papal Throne and placed the Tiara on the altar, never using it again, as a sign of his rejection of earthly glory.  He then donated the value of the tiara to the poor and donated the actual tiara to the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC (contrary to the belief of some that the actual tiara had been sold).

While some believe that Paul was ending the custom of using the Papal Tiara, this was not the case.  Rather, he was simply ending the use of the Papal Tiara for himself.  In his Apostolic Constitution “Romano Pontifici Eligendo” (On the Election of the Roman Pontiff), which was the document in force regarding Papal elections, Paul stated "Finally, the Pontiff will be crowned by the Cardinal Protodeacon and, within an appropriate time, will take possession of the Patriarchal Archbasilica of the Lateran, in accordance with the prescribed ritual.” (Romano Pontifici Eligendo, #92).  Clearly, he intended for the Papal Tiara to be used again for his successor.  However, John Paul I decided against being crowned.  Rather, he opted for a simple ceremony called the “Inauguration of the Supreme Pontificate”.  John Paul II and Benedict XVI have retained this practice of a simpler ceremony, which the former made the norm in his Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis”.

However, since the pope becomes sovereign pontiff upon his election as Pope, he can dispense with the means of his inauguration that his predecessor put into law (As John Paul I did when he went against the intention of Paul VI and refused to be crowned).  So, in theory, any pope could re-instate the coronation ceremony.  There was thought that Benedict XVI, considered by many to be liturgically traditional, would possibly bring the ceremony, with the Papal Tiara, back.  However, he took a step in the opposite direction and removed the Papal Tiara even from his Coat of Arms, replacing it with a mitre.

The Papal Tiara is, as noted above, steeped in rich Catholic history.  Will it ever make an official come-back?  Only God knows.  One thing is to be sure, however; that we continue to pledge love, support, and obedience to our Holy Father, not matter what he has on his head.