Papal Tiara

The Papal Tiara, also known as the Triple Tiara, in Latin as the 'Triregnum', or in Italian as the 'Triregno',{{ref|Triregno}} is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown of Byzantine and Persian origin that is the symbol of the papacy. Papal Tiaras were worn by all popes from Pope Clement V to Pope Paul VI, who was crowned in 1963. Pope Paul VI abandoned the use of his own tiara after the Second Vatican Council, symbolically laying it on the altar of St. Peter's Basilica, and donating its value to the poor. However, he did not abolish its use, explicitly requiring in his 1975 Apostolic Constitution Romano Pontifici Eligendo that his successor be crowned.

The Papal Tiara and the 666 controversy

Main article: Vicarius Filii Dei

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One common controversy surrounding the papal tiara, particularly attributed to Seventh-day Adventists and other Protestants, involves the claim that the words Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar of the Son of God) exist on the side of one of the tiaras. The controversy centres on the widely made claim that, when numerised (i.e., when those letters in the "title" that have Roman numerals value are added together) the words produce the number "666", described in the Book of Revelation as the Number of the Beast (who some have claimed would "wear" a crown similar to a triple tiara). This claim has been made by some evangelical Protestant groups who believe that the pope as head of the Roman Catholic Church is the Antichrist. Heretics dating back to the Cathars and Waldensians in the thirteenth century also held this view of the Church.

Related Topics:
Seventh-day Adventists - Roman numerals - Book of Revelation - Number of the Beast - Protestant - Roman Catholic Church - Antichrist - Heretic - Cathar - Waldensians

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Four sources are sometimes given to back up the claim, including two witnesses who claimed to have seen Pope Gregory XVI wearing a tiara with Vicarius Filii Dei on it in 1832 and 1845,{{ref|Smith}} the supposed existence of an early twentieth century papal funeral showing a tiara with the writing, and the fact that the tiara with the writing was used to crown Eugenio Pacelli as Pope Pius XII in 1939.

Related Topics:
1832 - 1845 - Pope Pius XII - 1939

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None of the claims hold up to scrutiny. One of the occasions where the Pope was "seen" wearing the tiara was supposedly during a Pontifical High Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. In fact popes never wore tiaras during Mass. It was never used as a liturgical item. In addition the tiara used for Pius XII's coronation in 1939 could not have been worn by Gregory XVI as it was manufactured thirty-one years after Gregory's death. All the tiaras potentially worn by Gregory still exist; none have writing, nor does the tiara worn by Pius in 1939.

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Finally, no evidence as to the existence of the supposed photograph has been produced, nor is it credible that a black and white photograph, taken from a distance inside a darkened St. Peter's Basilica, in the absence of modern photographic technology or even zoom lenses, could have picked up writing on a far-away tiara, had such writing existed. A photograph of a tiara supposedly on the coffin of Pope Pius X, at his canonisation in 1954 decades after the supposed original photograph, could not see the jewels on the tiara, much less any supposed writing.

Related Topics:
St. Peter's Basilica - 1954

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Contrary to claims of a cover-up, all tiaras manufactured since 1800 still exist and are on public display, with a number being sent around the world as part of the Saint Peter and The Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes exhibition which visited the United States in 2005. Only a handful, notably, the Belgian Tiara of 1871 and the Gold Tiara of 1903 have any writing at all. The 1871 tiara's writing is not Vicarius Filii Dei or anything that could confused with it, but CHRISTI VICARIO – IN TERRA – REGUM.

Related Topics:
1800 - United States - 2005

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Many historians, academics and mainstream religious leaders view the story as a classic anti-Catholic myth, a story for which no evidence has been found, even by the Seventh Day Adventists who have spent over a century extensively searching for the evidence. Finally, the title Vicarius Filii Dei itself is not a common papal title; however, the Donation of Constantine uses it to refer to St. Peter specifically.

Related Topics:
Anti-Catholic myth - Donation of Constantine - St. Peter

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