The fisherman's ring is an attribute of the vestments of the Pope

What is a fisherman's ring? This is the signet ring worn by the Pope, with the image of the bas-relief of St. Peter, sitting in a boat and throwing a net into the bosom of the waters. Along with the tiara, the fisherman's ring is an attribute of the Pope's vestments. He can be called what will be equivalent, the papal ring or the ring of St. Petra.

History of occurrence

A letter written by Pope Clement IV to his nephew Pietro Grossi in the middle of the 13th century contains the earliest mention of this regalia. The fisherman's ring was used to seal the private correspondence of the pontiffs. It was put on the wax. Later, since the XV century, it was intended for official documents (papal reports), and its seal was placed on sealing wax. The fisherman's ring is a signet used by the popes until the middle of the 19th century. Since 1842 the sealing wax has been replaced with a stamp, which was marked with red ink. For centuries, the fisherman's ring symbolizes the power of the ruling Pope, who was considered in Catholicism "the emperor of the world." Etiquette and respect required kneeling and kissing the papal shoes and his ring.

Symbolism

Jesus himself found the similarity between fishing and trapping human souls and thereby turning them into true faith. The texts of the Gospel tell of the wonderful feeding of 5 thousand people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Hence the answer to why the Pope's ring is called the fisherman's ring. Moreover, the very baptism that occurs in the water, in Latin means "fish tank," and the newly christened ones are called fish. And the apostle Peter, pictured on the ring, was an ordinary fisherman.

Creating a Ring

For each pope cast a new gold ring. Each pontiff carries a unique piece of jewelry art. Above the deep relief surface around the apostle's head is a Latin inscription with the name of the Pope, to whom this attribute is intended. During enthronement, the cardinal puts the ring on the ring finger of the right hand of the new Pope.

Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI interrupted this tradition. He was elected in 2005, and the chosen design for his ring was inspired by the painting by Michelangelo. For its creation, it took about two hundred sketches and color drawings. They depicted St. Peter in the form of a fisherman, casting nets in the Sea of Galilee, and an inscription certifying to whom the ring belongs. It took eight masters who worked for fifteen hours a day for two weeks to make it. This is a massive thing of 35 grams of pure gold. But there are items whose value can not be measured with money. The ring of the fisherman of the Pope is a symbol of strong power that belongs to him who wears it, and, most importantly, she talks about the foundations of the Christian faith. The Roman jeweler Claudio Franchi, who supervised this work, considers it the pinnacle of its activity. Benedict XVI wore this ring every day, but after abdication in 2013 he took off his fisherman's ring and put on the usual, episcopal. It symbolizes his betrothal with the Church.

Transfer of the Bishop's Ring

In 1966, Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey, head of the Church of England, received a gift from the Pope Paul VI in the Vatican - his bishop's ring. His father carried it when he was Archbishop of Milan. In their declaration they stated that their meeting "marks a new stage in the development of fraternal relations; It is based on brotherly love and is full of sincere efforts to eliminate the long-standing conflict and restore unity. " In brackets, we recall that the schism occurred in the 16th century under Henry VIII, who proclaimed himself the head of the Anglican Church and the defender of the faith. This gift was a complete surprise for Michael Ramsey, who immediately put it on his finger, taking off his own. Since then, this ring is passed from one archbishop to another and is worn every time you visit the pontiff. This was an important step of Paul VI to show the close connection of the Catholic Church with the Church of England.

Destruction of the ring

According to the tradition of the Catholic Church, after the Pontiff left our earthly world and went to the kingdom of God, his seal was broken with a silver hammer so that it was impossible to forge documents on behalf of the deceased. This was done by the cardinal, who was in charge of the property and income of the Holy See. But now this is not necessary, many rings are kept in the Vatican Museum. The fisherman's ring is a symbol of papal authority and responsibility. At present, the ring is not broken, and in it two deep notches are made in the form of a cross by a chisel, which is a symbol of the end of the reign of the Pope who wore it.

How the ring is worn

You can wear a gold ring at any time, but the tradition presupposes its wearing at solemn ceremonies.

In former times, the prints were made large, as they were put on top of gloves. This custom ended in the time of Paul VI. Often the popes wore bishops' rings, decorated with stones or cameos, framed by tiny diamonds.

But at the request of Francis he was made a ring not of gold, but of silver.

What was used for official documents

To seal state documents, a bull was used. This word has several meanings. In the Middle Ages, the bull was also called the metal seal, and the capsule into which it was enclosed, and a document with important editions of popes.

Lead seal

In the Middle Ages, lead was the usual material for the seals of lords, both spiritual and secular. The papal messages were sealed with lead. At first, papyrus was used, later - parchment. Bulla had a round shape. Its diameter was about four centimeters, and its thickness was half a centimeter. It was attached to the document with a silk or hemp thread. The impressions were placed on both sides. On one side was the name of the sending document, and on the other - the heads of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. After the Pope died, the seal with his name was destroyed, and the apostolic was transferred to his successor. Prior to his coronation, the Pope issued documents that were sealed only with an incomplete seal - apostolic.

Thus, for private documents, it was decided to use the ring, and for public documents it was decided to use the bull.