HI - I would realy like to know why our Queen was wearing all black when she saw the Pope this year - could some one help me??? I am from the UK.

Thanks, Gavin

-- Gavin Dyer (gavindyer@freenet.co.uk), November 21, 2000

Answers

GD, you'll find the reason buried in here.

From CNN:

"But the queen, who wore a protocol black wool and lace two-piece outfit and was in good spirits, and the Pope, who showed signs of fatigue and walked with a cane, stressed what both churches have in common rather than what divides them."

From Great Britain's news sources, ITN and Guardian:

(1) "British monarchs have been paying visits to popes since King Edward VII in 1903. Queen Elizabeth paid a state visit to the Vatican 20 years ago. At that time, she wore a black taffeta gown with a tiara holding a long veil in place. This time, she wore a black wool suit with a simple pill box hat holding a short tulle veil.

(2) "The Queen wore black for the meeting, as Protestant monarchs traditionally do, though not the long formal dress of previous visits."

SN

-- Slave Nolonger (free@long.last), November 22, 2000.

Women in a private (or semi-private) audience with the pope, ALWAYS wear black. Regardless of who they are. You're a female, ya wear black to go meet Papa.

That's it folks. Ain't more complicated than that!

-- forget the sequins (he's@not.elvis), November 24, 2000.

Gavin,

I might also add that only Catholic Queens may invoke their "Privilege du Blanche" or "privilege of white," in that these special monarchs, such as Queen Sofia of Spain, may and are technically supposed to wear all WHITE to see the Holy Father.

Thanks.

-- Vincent Giacabazi (cya55@aol.com), November 29, 2000.

Thanks, VG, for helping us to know the facts. It is good that "forget the sequins" will realize that he/she was mistaken in thinking that "Women ... ALWAYS wear black. Regardless of who they are." As stated earlier, non-Catholics wear black, according to protocol.

SN

-- Slave Nolonger (free@long.last), November 29, 2000.

everyone who visits the Pope has to wear black and he white like if he is God ....huh....God will take care of this when the time is right ..we will alll see everything that is hidden when Jesus turns on the light .I cant wait

-- rr (wrbjk@aol.com), November 06, 2002.

Good for you, r.r.
You and the Queen are birds of a feather. Loyal to the Bible; when it suits you.

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), November 06, 2002.

I swear no oath to a protestant king or queen. My loyalty is with the Holy Father, our Pope.

-- Scott McD (forlan17@hotmaill.com), October 13, 2004.

Well, actually newly weds can "visit with the pope" in their wedding attire. Good friends of ours visited Rome and got blessed by the Holy Father (and got a great photo of the event) dressed in the tux (he) and white bridal dress (she).

I believe this is common practice. Foreign cultures also I believe have exemptions as Black means one thing in the West and another in the East.

-- Joe (joestong@yahoo.com), October 13, 2004.

Scott - if you were a follower of Islam and said a similar statement you would be taken to be a threat to national security. Even Jesus promoted some loyalty to the authority of the rulers of the land - give unto ceaser - and all that. Jesus also said that authority and leadership of nations is ordained by God. Just a thought!

-- Sharon (sharon.guy@ntu.ac.uk), October 15, 2004.

I think that Pope, is a highly evolved person for whom, colors are not important, hoever he maybe able to see the complexion of our aura.

Black is the absence of color, white is the presence of all colors when you mix the 2 it is an infinity of gray shades, which essentially is how we percieve the truth on heart.

White is white and black is black.

This is my contribution THE IMPORTANT IS THE COMPLEXION OF A GOOD SOUL WHICH WE MUST STRIVE TO GET. CIAO.

L.

-- lorenzo f. bagarollo (lbagarollo@labopharm.com), January 31, 2005.

Black is the mixture of all colours, not white, white is the abcence.I know, my mother is a painter...

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), January 31, 2005.

Zarove

the spectrum of light, ie white, is split out into Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain.

White is the accummulation of ALL colours. Black is the absence of all/any colour(s).

-- Ian (ib@vertifgo.com), January 31, 2005.

actually, zarove, white IS the perception of all ranges of visible light combined and black IS the perception of the absence of visible light. when your mother paints, she uses mediums which ABSORB the light spectrums at certain levels thereby eliminating the reflection of that wavelength of light. add enough of these absorbtions at different wavelengths and eventually you soak up all of the light which is incident on a surface and it appears black to the human eye.

HOWEVER, this is color by subtraction, not actual addition (although this counter intuitive since it seems that adding paint should be adding color when it really is taking it away). Color by addition is done using different projections of light in various wavelengths, the wavelengths overlap and combine to create new colors and if you add enough colors you eventually arrive at white light.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), January 31, 2005.

paul h,

My hat's off to you. You know your color physics and color theory. Johannes Itten will be pleased.

-- (greyor@n.ge), February 02, 2005.