PONTIFICAL
232
PONTIFICAL
alone. In its broader sense the term may be taken to
include all the items of attire proper to bishops, even
those belonging to their civil or choir dress, for exam-
ple the cappa magna, or the hat with its green cord and
lining. But more strictly and accurately, rubricians
limit the pontificals to those ornaments which a prel-
ate wears in celebrating pontifically. The pontificals
common to all are enumerated by Pius VII in his con-
stitution "Decet Romanes" (4 July, 1823), and are
eight in number: buskins, sandals, gloves, dalmatic,
tunicle, ring, pectoral cross, and mitre. WTien abbots,
prothonotaries apostolic, and in some cases canons, re-
ceive by indult from the Holy See the privilege of
celebrating cum ponlificalibus, these eight ornaments
are meant. The use of them is ordinarily restricted —
for abbots to their own monastery or places within
their jurisdiction, for canons to their own church, and
for prothonotaries to those places for which the ordi-
nary gives his consent. Moreover, while bishops and
cardinals may wear most of these things in all solemn
ecclesiastical functions, those who enjoy them by
papal indult may only exercise this privilege in the
celebration of Alass. Several other restrictions dis-
tinguish the pontifical Mass of such inferior prelates
from that of bishops or cardinals. The former are not
allowed to bless the people as they pass through the
church; they have no right to a seventh candle on the
altar; they vest in the sacristy and not in the sanctu-
ary; they do not use fald-stool, or bugia, or gremiale,
or crosier, or Canon, and they are attended by no
assistant priest; they do not say "Pax vobis", and
they only wash their hands once, i. e. at the offertory.
The legislation upon this subject is to be found in the
above-mentioned constitution of Pius VII, supple-
mented by the "Apostolicoe Sedis officium" of Pius
IX (26 Aug., 1S72) and the Motu Proprio of Pius X,
"Inter multiplices" (21 Feb., 1905). With regard
to the ornaments just mentioned and other such pon-
tificals or quasi-pontificals as the manteletta, moz-
zetta, rationale, rochet, etc. nearly all will be found
separately t reated in their alphabet ical order. The bus-
kins (caligce) are large silk leg-coverings put on over the
ordinary stockings and gaiters and tied with a ribbon.
The gremiale is simply an apron of silk or linen which
is spread over a bishop's lap when he is seated or using
the holy oils. The "Canon" is a liturgical book con-
taining nothing but the Canon of the Mass, which is
used instead of the altar cards when a bishop pon-
tificates. The pallium and the archiepiscopal cross
may also be mentioned, but they form ordinarily the
special insignia of an archbishop.
The practice of conceding the use of certain of the pontificals to prelates of inferior rank is one of ancient date. A grant of dalmatic and sandals to the Abbot of Metz is recorded in the year 970 (Jaffe, "Regesta", 374). In the eleventh century Pope Leo IX granted the use of the mitre to the Canons of Besangon and of Bamberg (Jaffe, 4249 and 4293). The earliest known concession of the mitre to the ruler of a monastic house is that made to Abbot Egelsinus of St. Augus- tine's, Canterbury, in 1603. At a somewhat later date the grants of pontifical insignia to monastic superiors and other prelates are of constant occurrence in the papal "Regesta". To obtain such distinctions became a point of rivalry among all the greater abbeys, the more so that such concessions were by no means always made in the same form or with the same am- plitude, while subsequent indults often extended the terms of previous grants. Thus while, as noticed above, the concession of the mitre to St. Augustine's, Canterbury', is one of the earliest instances on record, the use of the tunicle and dalmatic at High Mas.s was only granted to the same abbey by Gregory IX in 1238 (Bliss, "Papal Registers". I, 170). In 1251 Innocent IV conceded to the Prior of Coventry and his successor the use of the ring only. It might bo worn at all times and in all places except in celebrating
Mass (ibid., 268). To the Prior of Winchester, on the
other hand, only three years later, the same pope,
Innocent IV, granted a much more ample concession
in virtue of which he might use mitre, ring, tunic,
dalmatic, gloves, and sandals, might bless chalices,
altar cloths, etc., might confer the first tonsure as well
as the minor orders of ostiarius and lector, and bestow
the episcopal benediction at High Mass and at table
(ibid., 395). It will be noticed that the crosier is not
here included. But it was included in a grant to the
Abbot of Selby by Alexander IV in 12,56 (ibid., 331).
In many of these indults a restriction was imposed
that pontifical ornaments were not to be worn in the
presence of the bishop of the diocese, but even here
distinctions were made. For example Urban V, in
1365, allowed the Prior of Worcester to wear the plain
mitre and ring in presence of the bishop, and in his
absence to wear the precious mitre and ring and epis-
copal vestments, and to give his solemn benediction.
(Bliss, IV, 48.) Not unfrequently it was specified
that such pontificals might be worn in parliaments and
councils "whenever any prelates below bishops wear
their mitres". One most extraordinary series of con-
cessions, to which attention has recently been called
in the English Historical Review (Jan., 1911, p. 124),
where the documents are printed, first bestows upon
the Abbot of St. Os}i;h the right to use the mitre and
other pontificals (Bliss, V, 334), and then gives power
to conifer not only the minor orders and subdiaconate
but the diaconate and priesthood. This grant made
by Boniface IX, in 1397, during the great Schism, was
cancelled by the same pope six years afterwards at the
request of the Bishop of London.
BR.\rN. Liturgische Gewandung (Freiburg. 1907) ; B.\rbier de MoNTAULT, Le Costume et les Usages Ecclesiastiques, 2vo]s. (Paris, 1897-1901); RoHAnLT de Fleurt, La Mcsse (Paris, 1884).
Herbert Thurston.
Pontifical Mass. — Pontifical Mass is the solemn Mass celebrated by a bishop with the ceremonies prescribed in the ' ' Caereraoniale Episcoporum", I and II. The full ceremonial is carried out when the bishop celebrates the Mass at the throne in his own cathedral church, or with permission at the throne in another diocese. The " Cseremoniale " supposes that the canons are vested in the vestments of their order, the dignitaries, of whom the first acts as assistant priest, in copes, those of the sacerdotal order in chasubles, those of the diaconal order, of whom the first two act as'assistant deacons, in dalmatics, and the subdeacons in tunics over the amice and the surplice or the rochet. In addition a deacon and subdeacon in their regular vestments and a master of ceremonies assist the bishop. Nine acolytes or clerics minister the book, bugia, mitre, crosier, censer, two acolyte candles, gremiale, and cruets, and four minister in turn at the washing of the bishop's hands. Mention is also made of a train-bearer and of at least four and at most eight torch-bearers at the time of the Elevation. All these clerics should wear surplices except the four who attend to the washing of the bishop's hands; the first four may also wear copes. The ornaments worn or used by the bishop, besides those ordinarily required for Mass, are the buskins and sandals, pectoral cross, tunic, dalmatic, gloves, pallium (if he has a right to use it), mitre, ring, crosier, gremiale, basin and ewer, canon, and bugia. A seventh candle is also placed on the altar besides the usual six.
The bishop vested in the cappa magna enters the cathedral, visits the Blessed Sacrament, and then goes to the chapel, called the secretarium, where he assists at terce. During the singing of the psalms he reads the prayers of preparation for Mass and puts on the \-estments for Mass as far as the stole, then vested in the cope he sings the prayer of terce, after which the cope is removed, and he ]iuts on the rest of the vestments. The procession headed by the censer-
