I understand that after the death of each Pope his "Papal Ring" is destroyed. Why and what is done with the ring after it is destroyed?

-- Vincent M. Johns (johnsvmf@yahoo.com), January 27, 1999

Answers

The papal ring is the personal seal of the living pope. With the ring he 'seals' official documents. With the death of a pope it is the responsibility of the Vatican Secretary of State to take charge of the ring and destroy it - to prevent any possible fraud. Because the pope does not always wear the ring - especially during life ending illnesses, there have been, on occasion, mad races to try and find the ring when the pope dies. In one case, I believe upon the death of Pope Paul VI, only after a frantic search of the papal apartment was the ring found in the back of a dresser drawer. Once the seal is destroyed, the precious metal may be recycled to create the ring of the new pope.

-- edward (mox39@hotmail.com), December 26, 2001.

Very interesting, Edward. Thank you for cleaning up a thread that was left unanswered for almost three years!

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), December 26, 2001.