What is a fisherman's ring? This is a signet ring that the Pope wears , depicting a bas-relief of St. Peter sitting in a boat and throwing nets into the bosom of water.
Along with the tiara, the fishermanâs ring is an attribute of the vestments of the Pope. He may be called, which will be equivalent, the papal ring or the ring of St. Petra.
History of occurrence
A letter written by Pope Clement IV to his nephew Pietro Grossi in the middle of the 13th century contains the earliest mention of this regalia.
The fishermanâs ring was used to seal the private correspondence of the pontiffs. It was put on wax. Later, starting from the 15th century, it was intended for official documents (papal reports), and its seal was put on sealing wax. The fishermanâs ring is a signet that popes used until the mid-19th century. Beginning in 1842, sealing wax was replaced with a stamp, which was affixed in red ink. For centuries, the fishermanâs ring has symbolized the power of the ruling Pope, who was considered in Catholicism "the emperor of the world."
Etiquette and respect required kneeling and kissing the papal shoe and its ring.
Symbolism
Jesus himself found a similarity between catching fish and capturing the souls of men and thereby turning them into true faith. Gospel texts tell about the miraculous feeding of 5 thousand people with 5 breads and 2 fish. Hence the answer why the ring of the pope is called the ring of the fisherman. Moreover, the very baptism that takes place in water, translated from Latin means "fish tank", and the newly baptized themselves are called fish. And the apostle Peter, depicted on the ring, was a simple fisherman.
Ring creation
A new golden ring is cast for each dad. Each pontiff wears a unique piece of jewelry.
Above the deep relief surface around the head of the apostle is a Latin inscription with the name of the Pope to whom this attribute is intended. During intronization, the cardinal puts a ring on the ring finger of the new Pope's right hand.
Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI interrupted this tradition. He was elected in 2005, and the chosen design for his ring was inspired by Michelangelo's painting. To create it, it took about two hundred sketches and color drawings. They depicted St. Peter in the form of a fisherman, casting nets in the Sea of ââGalilee, and an inscription certifying who owns the ring. It took eight craftsmen who worked fifteen hours a day for two weeks to make it. This is a massive thing of 35 grams of pure gold. But there are objects whose value cannot be measured in money. The ring of the fisherman of the Pope is a symbol of the strong power that belongs to the wearer, and, most importantly, she talks about the basics of the Christian faith. Roman jeweler Claudio Franchi, who directed this work, considers it the pinnacle of his work. Benedict XVI wore this ring every day, but after his abdication in 2013, he removed his fishermanâs ring and donned the usual bishop's ring. It symbolizes his betrothal with the Church.
Bishop's Ring Transfer
In 1966, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, the head of the Church of England, received a gift from the Pope Paul VI in the Vatican â his ring as bishop. Pope wore it when he was Archbishop of Milan. In their declaration, they stated that their meeting âmarks a new stage in the development of fraternal relations; it is based on brotherly love and is full of sincere efforts to eliminate the long-standing conflict and restore unity. â In parentheses, we recall that the split occurred in the XVI century under Henry VIII, who proclaimed himself the head of the Church of England and the defender of the faith. This gift was a complete surprise for Michael Ramsey, who immediately put it on his finger, removing his own. Since then, this ring has been passed from one archbishop to another and is worn whenever a pontiff visits. This was an important step of Paul VI to show the close relationship of the Catholic Church with the Church of England.
Ring destruction
According to the tradition of the Catholic Church, after the Pontiff left our earthly world and went to the kingdom of God, his signet was broken with a silver hammer so that it was impossible to forge documents on behalf of the deceased. This was done by the cardinal, who was in charge of the property and income of the Holy See. But now this is not necessary, many rings are stored in the Vatican Museum. The fishermanâs ring is a symbol of papal authority and responsibility. Currently, the ring is not broken, and two deep incisions are made in it in the form of a cross with a chisel, which is a symbol of the end of the reign of the Pope who wore it.
How to wear a ring
You can wear a gold ring at any time, but tradition involves wearing it at ceremonies.
In earlier times, seals were made large, as they were worn over gloves. This custom ended in the time of Paul VI. Often, popes wore bishops' rings, adorned with stones or cameos, framed by tiny diamonds.
But at the request of Francis they made him a ring not of gold, but of silver.
What was used for official documents
For sealing government documents used bull. This word has several meanings. In the Middle Ages, a metal seal, and a capsule in which it was enclosed, and a document with important decrees of popes were called bulls.
Lead Seal
In the Middle Ages, lead was a common material for the seals of lords, both spiritual and secular. Papal messages were sealed with lead. At first papyrus was used, later parchment.
Bulla was round in shape. Its diameter was approximately four cm, and its thickness was half cm. It was attached to the document with silk or hemp thread. Imprints were placed on both sides. On one side was the name of the sending document, and on the other - the heads of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. After the Pope died, the seal with his name was destroyed, and the apostolic seal was passed on to his successor. Before his coronation, the Pope issued documents that were sealed only with an incomplete seal - the apostolic one.
Thus, it was customary to use a ring for private documents, and a bulla for government documents.