Olusegun Ariyo
The freshly made robes to be worn by the newly elected Catholic Pope have been revealed.
The new robes for the highly anticipated Pope were sewn by Raniero Mancinelli, an 86-year-old tailor, who has been working in the Vatican for 70 years.
Mancinelli made three robes in small, medium, and large sizes, and they are in a side room at St Peter’s Basilica, ready for the new Pope to wear once elected.
The new Pope will don the white vestments as he addresses an expected crowd of 250,000 people from the balcony upon election.
Speaking, Mancinelli said: “Mission accomplished, there are three sizes already: small, medium, and large. Seven pairs of shoes are also ready, and a mozzetta has also been made.”
A mozzetta is a short, elbow-length vestment that covers the shoulders and is buttoned from the front. It was also made for Pope Francis, but he never wore it.
Mancinelli has his atelier in Borgo Pio in Rome and has dressed three different Popes: John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. Meanwhile, Cardinal Paolo Romeo, Archbishop of Palermo, who at 87 is not eligible to vote, has also suggested the election process will be short.
He told Italian TV: “It won’t be a long Conclave; after the fifth or sixth vote, a new Pope will be elected.”
The Conclave of Cardinals that will Elect the New Pope held its last Holy Mass before the process commenced on Wednesday.
The process of picking a new Pope follows the death of Pope Francis after suffering a stroke, coma, and heart failure.
Pope Francis died on April 21, and his Burial took place on April 26 at Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.
