St. Pope John Paul II: A MitreA mitre is a liturgical headdress worn by Roman Catholic bishops, abbots and popes. It has two shield-shaped stiffened halves that face the front and back and two fringed streamers known as lappets, that hang from the back.
Saint Pope John Paul II, pray for us!
While most mitres are pure white this one is particularly elaborate in its design. A large cross on a field of gold and blue is the centerpiece of the shield, and it is repeated along its base.
The remainder of the shield and lappets are a mixture of a gold floral lief pattern on white.
The coat of arms Bishop Wojtyla chose (and kept as Pope John Paul II) is on the lappets of the mitre.
This is truly a treasured and stunning addition to this Collection, and, as an item of clothing worn by a saint, it is also a second-class relic adding to its spiritual value.
Coat of Arms of Saint John Paul IIThe coat of arms features a gold cross set against a blue backdrop. The cross represents the central Christian mystery of the Redemption. The vertical part of the cross has been shifted slightly to the left to make room for the majestic capital M, which reminds us of Mary’s presence at Jesus’ death on the cross.
The motto of Bishop Wojtyla, which he kept as pope, along with his coat of arms, expresses his devotion to Mary and is the simple Latin expression “Totus Tuus.” It means, “Totally Yours!”
Located directly behind the pontiff’s personal coat of arms are the symbols of papal authority: the tiara and the keys of Saint Peter. The papal tiara, or triregnum, is formed of three crowns and symbolizes the triple power of the pope, for he is father of kings, governor of the world, and Vicar of Christ. The keys, which represent those given by Christ to the apostle Peter, are crossed and tied with a cord.
Since the fourteenth century, the two crossed keys have been the official insignia of the Holy See.
