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Flagsby Paul Turner |
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| Many churches display the papal
and national flags. This optional custom began fairly recently in church
history.
During periods of national crisis, it became popular to post a country’s flag inside its churches. The practice showed another layer of unanimity within the assembly of believers, signified the country’s prayers for security and peace and tapped the emotional relationship between national pride and religious belief. When the periods of crisis waned, the flags remained. It probably seemed unpatriotic to remove them. The papal flag commonly took up a position next to the national flag. It carries the pope’s coat of arms, a triple tiara and crossed keys, symbolizing his ministry as ruler and successor to Peter, the apostle to whom Jesus entrusted the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and who, tradition holds, first served as bishop of the church at Rome. The tiara and keys are depicted in the noble colors of silver and gold. The two flags often adorned a church’s sanctuary. However, since the Second Vatican Council’s appeal for simplicity in the liturgy, the sanctuary has become more reserved for those features necessary for the celebration of Mass. The removal of flags from the sanctuary does not promote disloyalty to church or state, but may assist the prayer of those gathered for the Eucharist by keeping their attention fixed on its central symbols: the altar, ambo and chair, as well as the bread and wine. At funerals, a national flag may be placed on a coffin before it arrives at the church and after it leaves (Order of Christian Funerals 132). During the funeral, a coffin is covered with a white pall, symbolizing the baptismal garment. For additional bulletin insert resources, try Index of Bulletin Inserts What do YOU Think?
Copyright
© 2002, Resource Publications, Inc. 160 E. Virginia St. #290, San
Jose, CA 95112, (408) 286-8505. This article may not be reproduced in any
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