Popes wear gold and silver jewelry. Although, more than aesthetic, they can have a symbolic meaning. This is the case of the piscatory ring: made of gold, it is actually a seal used until 1842 to seal every official document drawn up by the Pope, or countersigned by him. Now that it no longer has practical functions, the tradition has nevertheless been preserved. Upon the Pope’s death, the fisherman’s ring was destroyed by the cardinal chamberlain in the presence of the other cardinals, using a silver gavel and then preserved in the Vatican museums. The action once served to prevent the improper use of the seal, for example to prevent documents from being backdated. However, that of the outgoing Pope has already been scratched to make it unusable. Today he only underlines that during the period of vacant see no one can assume the prerogatives of the Pontiff.
Will the tradition also be renewed with the newly elected Pope Francis? «The fisherman’s ring could also be made of bronze or copper alloys, like the cardinal’s rings of the Renaissance era, or even of iron, as in the era of Republican Rome», claims Claudio Franchi, the historic craftsman of the art that together with his brother Roberto created the gold fisherman’s ring for Benedict XVI. The message of Benedict XVI’s fisherman’s ring summarizes, in intention, the presence of the Church through the symbol of fish; while the relationship between the pontiff and the faithful is represented by the Colonnade of St. Peter, by the perforated design of the square and by the fisherman, or the vicar of Christ.
Franchi, who has a laboratory in the center of Rome, is also vice-president of the Association Roman Goldsmiths. «The choice of material is therefore secondary to that of the symbolic content, which is the true immaterial valuable value. And it could combine Pope Francis’ message of simplicity and attention to the poorest, and at the same time what Father Lombardi said in recent days, namely that the fisherman’s ring would have been identical to that of Benedict XVI also for his successor”, adds Franchi. According to the craftsman, who took around 300 hours to create that of the pope emeritus, the fisherman’s ring is «first of all a powerful symbolic vehicle.
For Pope Francis, the use of a non-noble metal would contribute to further strengthening the evangelical message entrusted to the ring, while remaining faithful to the ritual which would see it linked to the personality and sensitivity of the new Pontiff”. But the ring is not the only jewel, albeit sacred, worn by the Pope. Above the white dress of Francis I, in fact, a cross stands out, which some have said is made of iron. But is not so. «In reality it is a silver cross blackened by the natural oxidation process, characteristic of this metal», reveals the goldsmith. Now the Roman Goldsmiths Association is waiting to know if Pope Francis will also choose to rely on them and commission them to make a new fisherman’s ring.
