Thursday, July 26, 2012

Best Old Video of 1950s Vatican Splendor -- A MUST SEE



This is why we call it the good old days...

Many thanks to Mr. Kevin Chan!

12 comments:

  1. Pius XII was glorious!

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  2. AMAZING! I was struck with the beauty and solemnity of the event. Can this be sent to Msgr. Georg Gänswein? He needs to know how to organize papal audiences.

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  3. Wonderful, Magnificent!! Thank you so much for sharing these images of the Great Pius XIII. Regards.

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  4. Down with the myth that Pius XII was austere, aloof, and unsmiling.

    The difference between his pontificate and those that came after was the advent of TV.

    John XXIII was the first pope seen regularly on TV and that made a huge difference in image.

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  5. A pity et hoc genus omne is done away with.

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  6. Additionally, I believe Pius is wearing an ermine shoulder cape in this video.

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  7. The cardinals scene is staged (not St. Peter's).

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  8. http://www.caeremonialeromanum.com/2012/07/liturgiae-sermonisque-papae-splendor.html

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  9. Now there is a man who knows how to Pope!

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  10. Yes, Pius XII was glorious. To be fair, so was John XXIII...but none of their predecessors.

    It was breathtaking to see Pius XII on the Sedia Gestatoria. Today we have meories of John Paul II and Benedict XVI being rolled down the nave of St. Peters on what looks like a roll-away library cart. Ridiculous and humiliating.

    Bring back the Sedia Pope Benedict. Have some papal dignity as did the great Pius XII

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  11. I am guessing this was what we now know as a weekly Wednesday (or Public) Audience. Considering the white ermine cape (not to be confused with the Easter-tide white mozzeta) this must have been in wintertime, probably with foul weather outside, since in those cases the Public Audiences would be carried inside into the basilica, though because of the extra-liturgical context, the altar would be veiled as in the images here... Because of the red gala-tag hangings, probably around some very important feast or canonization... can anyone pinpoint when it was filmed? (and yes, the scenes with the cardinals and elderly actress were staged somewhere else and edited into the actual footage of the ceremony in question).

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