ASK FATHER: Can a priest wear a black zucchetto?

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

I was wondering if priests are permitted to wear a black zucchetto nowadays and which types of priests can wear them or used to wear them prior to Vatican II? And if so, when does a priest wear a zucchetto on his head?

“On his head….” Where else would he wear it?

Yes, a priest may wear a black zucchetto.   However, this is not, for a priest, a liturgical item.  He would not wear it when saying Mass or when in choro.   We use the biretta.

A zucchetto is useful for keeping one’s bald spot warm.  That’s about it.

BTW… sometimes this gizmo is called a “solideo”. That’s Latin… soli Deo, since they are removed at the Holy Name and for the Blessed Sacrament. And sometimes, in some places, they had a pom on them.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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