Vatican watchers have observed that Pope Benedict chooses to wear much more traditional vestments and papal garb. The Los Angeles Times wrote a story on the subject that you can access here. Why is the Holy Father going back to so much of the traditional stuff? That is a natural question to ask these days. Fr. Longenecker from down in South Carolina wrote the following:
Why does Benedict XVI wear all the old fancy gear? Does he just like dressing up? Does he like to display the power and pomp of his office? In fact, it is all part of his commitment to what he calls 'the hermeneutic of continuity' that is to say, that the Church today is built on the past, and what we do today, liturgically, pastorally, politically, spiritually, is empowered and enabled by our faithfulness to the past. This is not to turn the clock back. The Pope is not one of these arch traditionalists who want to return to the 1950s. Instead he believes that the past rightly informs the present, and that there must be a continuity in the tradition so that the faith that we have received from the apostles can continue to thrive. So, in wearing vestments and using a crozier from three earlier popes Benedict XVI makes visual the continuity of his office and the continuity of his teaching.
As we get closer and closer to the Pope's visit I will add more information and videos on Pope Benedict. I hope Fr. Longenecker's explanation was helpful. It helped me! Below you will find a video to get your appetite going for his visit!!. Viva il Papa!
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