Benedict and Those Red Shoes

photo from Prada web page











The Pope wears red shoes


Somewhere in my little girl memory I must have seen a Pope wear red shoes. I was very aware of the Pope when John XXIII had the job. Everybody was crazy about him. His idea of Vatican II - for many - was saving the Church from irrelevance. The only thing I was disappointed about was that in our religion classes at Catholic school, we no longer would be learning the mass in Latin. Believe or not I can still remember one phrase - Et in terra pax homínibus bonae voluntátis -

Back when I was in the primary grades I found the whole idea of the church very confusing. At the time, in my town, the churches were segregated - there were black protestant churches, Mexican churches, white protestant churches, ethnic Catholic churches, and Catholic churches for white people. (My father always said - with much irony- that many people did not consider Czech people white).

Of course, people now say that the church, of any denomination, is still the most segregated place in America. But in the 1930s southeast Texas it was a nightmare. While doing research for my book Cemeteries of Ambivalent Desire I found some church records that said when Mexican people would go to the door of the rectory of a church in Richmond (Texas) - the priest would see them, call the Sheriff in terror - and a few minutes later, the Mexican faithful finding themselves greeted with a gun.


I do have to say one thing for the clergy at my school and the Mexican church I attended -- they were never weird with us... Maybe the small town societal controls kept them in line - but either way - we actually felt safe among the priests.

The ones we were really afraid of were the nuns. Not for anything sordid like sexual abuse... more like emotional abuse. A few really did make us feel really bad. There was a continuous edge to what they told us. They would diminish major losses we were experiencing (like the loss of a parent), tell us there was no hope for us academically, and naturally favored those with the best cursive handwriting.

As for those red shoes in Church history, for me they represent the nobility of the Church (I mean nobility as in privilege). Over the years I have read many books on the history of the church in Europe and the Americas and have found it to be an institution that is immersed in regal rituals (and clothing) but generally has not been very sensitive to real people (real people being lay people who don't give a lot of money to the church).

There have been a few orders that were different. Mostly I can say the Basilian priests have been more aware and empathic than any other I have ever run into. But even then, decades ago, when they first came to Texas they were saying they were going to bring "civilization" to the Mexicans.

Lastly the red shoes remind me of hubris. In Houston, the hubris has been exhibited by the building of a new (and gorgeous) Co-Cathedral for the Diocese. It costs so many millions of dollars I don't even want to know.

The red shoes don't help anyone except make people talk about the Pope's feet (they are humorous I must admit) - and the expensive new cathedral tells the community that 1)the church has lots of money and 2) and spending money on a building is a higher priority than doing something for its huge immigrant population. Can you imagine how many lobbyists the Church could hire with that money! With that kind of change they might even have influence on the more xenophobic members of the U.S. Congress.

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Pope Benedict XVI Visits the U.S.
Why Does the Pope Wear Red Shoes?
All Things Considered, April 17, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI's ruby red shoes are drawing plenty of attention as he visits Washington, D.C. The handmade loafers, crafted for Benedict by an Italian shoemaker, are seen as a statement of his desire to demonstrate continuity with the symbols and history of the church.

Although Pope John Paul II often wore brown shoes, other pontiffs have also worn red shoes. Benedict's shoes, which stand out against his spotless white robes, also serve as a reminder of the many years he wore the red cloth of a cardinal.

For entire article and link to audio click here