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[Catholic Caucus] Francis' Obsession with Vestments ContinuesFashion style is a recurring obsession in Francis' "Magisterium", for example when he repeatedly tells priests and seminarians what to wear and what not to wear.This obsession has reached a new level. A year after the death of Benedict XVI, the supreme commander of Santa Marta ordered his master of ceremonies and the staff of the sacristy of St Peter's to remove the coat of arms of Benedict XVI from a set of chasubles in four of the five liturgical colours, writes SilereNonPossum.com (31 December).The coat of arms will be replaced by the tiara...

Britain's Kensington Palace has given details of the newly created Coat of Arms for the former Meghan Markle — an honor which is accorded by tradition to the nobility. The Coat of Arms for the Duchess of Sussex, as she is now formally known, includes symbols that invoke the former actress' background and look to her future. It features a blue background that represents the Pacific Ocean and golden rays of sunshine reminiscent of California, her home state in America. The shield includes three quills, representing the power of words.

Monday, March 18, 2013 Pope Francis' official Coat of ArmsBy Brian Kopp From the Vatican website announcement (via Google translate, bold added): ...Pope Francis has decided to keep his coat front, chosen from his episcopal consecration and characterized by a linear simplicity.The blue shield is surmounted by symbols of papal dignity, the same as those taken by his predecessor Benedict XVI (miter placed between crossed keys of gold and silver, bound by a red cord). At the top, stands the emblem of the order of origin of the Pope, the Society of Jesus, a radiant sun and flamboyant loaded from...

LONDON (AP) - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will get a coat of arms on Sunday to coincide with her 58th birthday. The blue, red, gold and green crest features a boar taken from the crest of her father, Maj. Bruce Shand and a lion copied from her husband Prince Charles' arms, Charles' office said. Queen Elizabeth II took a "keen interest" in its creation, Clarence House added. The duchess' coat of arms also has a crown - the Coronet of the Heir Apparent - copied from Charles' design. It was restricted to the heir's crest until King Charles II issued...

Folks, my colleague Oswald Sobrino of Catholic Analysis has a very interesting post on the new papal coat-of-arms (pictured right). I'm a fan of heraldry--meaning that I have a fascination for it and its symbology, not that I spend untold amount of hours researching them or drawing my own--because they tell me so much about the person bearing them. I'll now reproduce the description found at the ETWN site: The coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI incorporates both papal elements, as well as the elements of the coat of arms he bore as Archbishop of München (Munich) and Freising,...

Pope Drops Papal Crown From Coat of Arms, Adds Miter, Pallium By Carol GlatzCatholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The papal crown has been given the boot once again, this time no longer appearing as part of the new pope's coat of arms. Pope Benedict XVI has dispensed with the image of the three-tiered tiara that traditionally appeared at the top of each pope's coat of arms and replaced it with the pointed miter. The pope also has added the pallium, the woolen stole symbolizing a bishop's authority, to the elements surrounding the shield. The details of the new...