The Princes' New Coats

Two months ago before the consistory took place, I posted on this blog about the coat-of-arms of the cardinals-elect. Now it's time to update the coats-of-arms of these prelates since their elevation. I found 17 of them and photoshoped the arms of Francesco Coccopalmerio from his former one. (I also have João Bráz de Aviz's former arms as archbishop of Brasilia, but he would have changed his shield when appointed to the Roman Curia.) If anyone can find the coat-of-arms of the the 4 remaining cardinals (João Bráz de Aviz, Domenico Calcagno, Lucian Mureşan and Julien Ries), please write to me.

Cardinals employ the insignia of a red galero with a cord and 15 red tassels on each side of their shield in their arms. (Read also my summary of the insignia of prelates of other ranks.) The shield identifies the person or the family. It is customarily changed whenever this primary office changes (say from auxiliary to ordinary or from ordinary of a see to another).

Simple designs of the shields of the other curial cardinals are desirable: Fernando Filoni, Manuel Monteiro de Castro, Santos Abril y Castelló, Antonio Maria Vegliò, Giuseppe Bertello, Francesco Coccopalmerio and Giuseppe Versaldi. When a bishop takes possession of a diocese (or an office), he often combines his personal elements with those of the diocese in separate parts of the shield. This is known as marshalling. For instance, Edwin O'Brien uses the red crosses of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in two of the quarters of the shields, while the other two quarters are further marshalled into the symbols he used in his previous arms including that of the coat-of-arms of the premier see of Baltimore. See other fine examples of marshalling in the arms of Timothy Dolan and Rainer Woelki.

A few notes about the coats-of-arms of the other cardinals: Cardinal George Alencherry can use a different design in his arms because of his affiliation in the Eastern rite, although this style is not shared by his predecessors or other Syro-Malabar bishops. Thomas Collins and Timothy Dolan could have included a pallium in their arms because they are archbishops of metropolitan sees, like Dominik Duka, Willem Eijk, Giuseppe Betori and Rainer Woelki. John Tong is the only cardinal with the office of a bishop and so uses a single-bar cross instead of a double-bar archiepiscopal cross. (The design of the Hong Kong bishop's shield regrettably breaks every rule in heraldry, just like his predecessor Cardinal Joseph Zen's. They were ordained bishop on the same occasion prior to Hong Kong's return to China. Their coats-of-arms were probably designed by the same novice.)

While both Prosper Grech and Karl Becker were only priests when the consistory was announced, the former received episcopal consecration while Karl Becker asked for dispensation from episcopal ordination out of humility, and so does not employ a cross on top of his shield. Note also the different shapes of the shields that are used, which are allowed in heraldry.

Everyone should appreciate how beautifully the heraldic artists designed and drew these coats-of-arms. Some of the illustrations were taken from Araldica Vaticana, Marco Foppoli and Giuseppe Quattrociocchi. (I'd be happy to acknowledge other designers if they were missed.) Ecclesiastical heraldry is indeed a great treasure of the Church.

Coats of the Princes

It is a venerable tradition in the Roman Catholic Church for bishops (and even priests and deacons) to adopt a coat-of-arms. The pattern in the shield is chosen personally by the prelate, while the elements around the shield indicate the prelate's rank and possibly even the office, as determined by rules of ecclesiastical heraldry. Ordained ministers have a right to an ecclesiastical hat or galero, and tassels are hung from the galero on the two sides of the shield. In recent centuries, it is also customary to add a motto below the shield. (Eastern-rite prelates may use a different design such as a mantle below the shield.)

As a summary, the number of tassels on each side of the shield tells the rank of the prelate: 0 for Deacons, 1 for Priests, 2 for Vicars Forane and Vicars Episcopal, 3 for Canons, 6 for Monsignors, Abbots and Bishops, 10 for Archbishops, 12 for Major Archbishops, 15 for Primates, Patriarchs and Cardinals. The colour of the galero usually matches that of tassels: black for Priests and Abbots, violet for Prelates of Honour, green for Bishops, Archbishops and Patriarchs, and red for Cardinals (except for Protonotaries Apostolic who use violet galero and red tassels, and Chaplains of His Holiness who use a black galero and violet tassels). A Bishop uses a golden cross above the shield; an Archbishop uses a golden archiepiscopal cross (two-barred cross); and Abbots uses a crozier. Archbishops who are Metropolitans can use a pallium in the arms.

When the prelates change their office and rank, they adjust their coat-of-arms accordingly. For the 22 prelates to be elevated Cardinals, they may simply change the colour of the galero, cords and tassels to red and the number of tassels becomes 15 on five rows on each side of the shield, while usually leaving the shield unchanged. Below are the existing coat-of-arms of half of the 22 Cardinals-designate.

Note that Versaldi's coat-of-arms was that of his former office as Bishop of Alessandria, and Fr. Grech's coat-of-arms will be used only from his episcopal consecration on February 8 until February 18 when he is created cardinal.

These 11 prelates choose the following mottoes (the mottoes of the others can be seen here):

• Fernando Filoni: Lumen gentium Christus (Christ is the light of the world)
• Edwin Frederick O’Brien: Pastores dabo vobis (Shepherds I give you)
• Thomas Christopher Collins: Deum adora (Revelation 22:9, Worship God)
• Dominik Duka, O.P.: In spiritu veritatis (John 4:24, In the spirit of truth)
• Willem Jacobus Eijk: Noli recusare labore (Do not refuse to work)
• Giuseppe Betori: Deo et verbo gratiæ (Acts 20:32, To God and to the word of his grace)
• Timothy Michael Dolan: Ad quem ibimus (John 6:68, Lord, To whom shall we go)
• Rainer Maria Woelki: Nos sumus teste (Acts 5:32, We are witnesses)
• Giuseppe Versaldi: Christi minister (Minister of Christ)
• John Tong Hon: Dominus pastor meus (Psalm 23:1, The Lord is my Shepherd)
• Prosper Grech: In te Domine speravi (Psalm 31:2, In you Lord I take refuge)

While prelates may use any language for their motto, it is encouraging to see these 11 choose to use Latin, the official language of the Church.