| EWTN Catholic Q&A |
| Birettas Question from Anon. on 12-16-2004: |
I once saw a painting of an abbot-bishop wearing a fuschia biretta, but with a green pom pom instead of the customary fuschia pom pom. What is the difference? Is this biretta reserved to a particular type of bishop? |
| Answer by Colin B. Donovan, STL on 02-01-2005: |
According to James-Charles Noonan in The Church Visible, the tuft of pompon of Cardinals is red, of Archbishops and bishops purple, of Protonotaries Apostolic, Prelates of Honor and priests black. In academic settings, but never liturgical, the clergy with doctorates may wear the academic biretta with the color appropriate to the particular discipline. Perhaps that is what the painting depicts. Theology's color is scarlet, philosophy is dark blue. Green is used by medicine and some other fields, none of which are likely degrees of abbot-bishops. Perhaps, there is another connection of which I am unaware. www.ewtn.com |