Philippa Bianchi

PAINTING: “The Pope as St. Corbian’s Bear”

A beautiful work, realistic and simultaneously rich with symbolism, and the lens with which the artist, Philippa Bianchi, has looked upon the Holy Father, and sought to offer to the Mexican people and to Benedict XVI, himself, a critical reflection upon His pontificate.

During the three day visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico, during which time the work remained on permanent exhibition in the Colegio Miraflores, provisional residence to the Pope, I observed that all those who resided there, as with those who had the privilege of entering into His residence, remained captivated by this work.

I am glad, in view of this, to see this solitary work, once again, on public display. As such, it may be admired by many who, undoubtedly, upon contemplating its significance, will be reminded with emotive force of the very recent visit of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, to “His” beloved Mexico.

+ Christophe Pierre Apostolic Nuncio in Mexico

Philippa Bianchi

PAINTING: “The Pope as St. Corbinian’s Bear”

Explanation

Pope Benedict XVI is displayed in his formal capacity as Sumo Pontifice and head of the Roman . The focal point of the work (golden section) is, however, the cross, which underscores his evangelical calling and which is the stated remit for his visit to Mexico.

Rather than as worldly king, Benedict is depicted, as a deep and philosophical man, fulfilling his ecclesiastical duties and bearing the full weight of the Roman Catholic Church on his shoulders, as represented through his heavy vestments. He is clutching the cross with absolute conviction and is thus fulfilling his dual role as a vessel for the evangelism of the Christ, particularly in an age of progressive secularism.

There are several motifs which resonate with Pope Benedict XVI’s coat of arms, a three-sectored shield with personal elements comprised of the scallop shell, the Moor of , and St. Corbinian’s bear.

Pope Benedict XVI Coat of Arms

St. Corbinian’s Bear

On the right-hand side of the shield is a brown bear with a pack on its back, which is meant to represent "St. Corbinian's bear". The bear is tied to an old Bavarian legend about St. Corbinian, the first and of the of Freising.

According to legend, when the St. Corbinian was on his way to , a bear attacked and killed his horse. St. Corbinian punished the bear by making him carry the saint's belongings for the remainder of the way to Rome.

Cardinal Ratzinger wrote in his autobiography that the bear symbolizes the beast "tamed by the grace of God," and the pack that he is carrying, in turn, symbolizes "the weight of the episcopate.” He further reflected: "The bear with the pack, which replaced the horse or, more probably, St. Corbinian's mule, becoming, against his will, his pack animal, was that not, and is it not an image of what I should be and of what I am?" 1

Philippa Bianchi

Hence, Pope Benedict XVI is portrayed as St. Corbinian’s bear.

The Scallop Shell

The central element of the shield is the large gold shell, which Cardinal Ratzinger himself described as a symbol of “our being pilgrims, of our being on a journey." The seashell also alludes to the theological teachings of St. Augustine, a theologian very much revered by Pope Benedict XVI for his intellectual humility and for his commitment to spreading the Christian message to “ordinary persons” as opposed to a commitment to “learned theological works” per se. There are four such hand-carved shells on the gilded frame (see attached images), representing the four corners of the earth and underscoring the role of Pope Benedict XVI as a Pilgrim Pope and as an evangelist to Christ’s message.

The Moor of Freising

The left-hand side of the canvas depicts a dark-skinned deacon. This may be interpreted as the second element belonging to Pope Benedict’s Coat of Arms: the left-facing “Moor” (albeit devoid of collar and crown) and appearing frequently in the Bavarian tradition of .

It is also known as the "caput ethiopicum" or the "Moor of Freising". This element has been included in the shields of the of Freising for some 1,000 years, where Cardinal Ratzinger once served as Archbishop. This individual is purposefully obscured, as Cardinal Ratzinger once reflected upon it, as “an expression of the universality of the Church, which knows no distinctions of race or class since all are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28)."

The Keys

On the back of the shield are the keys, in remembrance of Christ's words to Peter: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19).

The Vatican coat of arms, therefore, appears in the background and also helps to contextualise Pope Benedict’s visit to Mexico, as an evangelical mission emanating from the Vatican.

The Mitre

Typically, Papal coat of arms include a tiara, although Pope Benedict XVI has replaced the tiara with the pointed mitre, not wanting to be seen as a worldly king but rather as a servant in the service of Christ. The papal mitre on Pope Benedict XVI’s shield symbolises the three powers of the Sumo Pontifice: order, jurisdiction and magisterium (the teaching authority of the church). Pope Benedict is, thus, portrayed wearing the tri-partite silver and gold mitre of Pope Benedict XV, leader of the Roman Catholic Church during WWI and whose teachings and legacy Pope Benedict XVI wishes to continue, particularly as pertains to the late pontiff’s views on humanitarian diplomacy and contrarian stance against relativism and modernism.

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Philippa Bianchi

The White Pallium

Pope Benedict XVI's shield also includes a pallium, the woollen stole symbolizing a bishop's authority, and the typical liturgical insignia of the Supreme Pontiff, indicating his responsibility to be the shepherd of Christ's flock. The white pallium with black crosses draped below the shield is not represented. Rather, Pope Benedict XVI is portrayed in the vestments of Pope John XXIII (see papal coat of arms, far right canvas), who is best known for his reformist work having called the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). Pope Benedict XVI has long referred to the Council as providing the “compass” for his papacy, and he has repeatedly emphasized the Council’s wider remit of bringing the faith out of the private sphere and providing an unparalleled opportunity for the renewal of the church as a driving force in human history.

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