From a reader:
The Feast of Sts Peter and Paul is coming up this month which prompted me to order a Papal Flag to fly on that occasion. What is the custom for flying the flag throughout the year? Every Sunday, holy days, etc.? Technically, are we even permitted?
I don’t see why you couldn’t display a papal flag.
I don’t believe there is any special protocol to be observed, other than that which you should observe in regard any other flag flown near your national flag.
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
Loading ...
A Daily Prayer for Priests
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “That doesn’t even count the priests who use “gluten free” hosts. They think they know better than the Church.”
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “I am dumbfounded y the sheer stupidity of this. I knew this at an early age. It reminds me of…”
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “I wonder if the priests will be required to repay the mass stipend money they received?”
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “As long you’ve brought up the subject: a recent baptism was done by a permanent deacon who is also baby’s…”
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “On the one hand, having shopped for wine at local stores hundreds of times, I feel that it should be…”
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “OK, here’s the question that won’t go away. Some time ago, you said that if the wine was invalid matter,…”
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “Is that the diocese where the National Catholic Reporter is located?”
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “Etna Rosso. What a fine choice! :-)”
on How to view the SSPX.: “It sounds as if the Archdiocese of Kansas “protests too much”. The SSPX has proven it’s viability thru its Seminary,…”
on REPOST ASK FATHER: How to make a “Trinitini” Martini for Trinity Sunday and avoid committing heresy?: “At risk of being deemed a Martini modernist, I shall share with you my recipe for the Martin-tini: Beforehand: Freeze…”
on ASK FATHER… ASK EVERYONE: Find recording of Archbp. Léonard imitating different regional Latin pronunciations: “When anyone in my Koine’ Greek class would seek the “correct” pronunciation of a word, the prof would say: I…”
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “Would a situation like this be an appropriate use of canon 844:2?”
on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “An additional question: do the invalid Masses render the weddings performed during them invalid too? [No. Not automatically. Matrimony and…” on There is hardly anything crueler that a priest can do than to leave people in doubt about the validity of their sacraments. : “If in Kansas City, where else? KC cannot be unique in this matter. Will the USCCB ensure that every Mass,…”
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful.
That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
My "challenge coin" for my 25th anniversary of ordination in 2016.
Want one? I do exchanges with military and LEOs, etc.
Loading ...If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
Loading ...
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!
Please follow me on Twitter!
Use my code for a discount
Visits tracked by Statcounter
since Sat., 25 Nov. 2006:
Our parish flies a Papal flag all the time, on a separate flagpole from the U.S. flag, to its left and slightly lower. There’s also one to the right of the sanctuary (along with the flag of the Knights of Malta and I think another. Our rector likes flags. I think he would hang battle honors if he could figure out a justification for it.)
Our parish has always displayed a Papal flag and AnAmericanMother describes the proper protocol. My Father (a proud US Marine) always told us that when religious services were being conducted it was also permissible to fly a religious pennant above the US Flag. To his knowledge that is the only time a flag should be flown higher than the stars and stripes.
I’m pretty sure there is standard protocol about flying the Papal flag equal or lower than the American flag, but technically speaking, there is no law that says how flags are to be flown on private property. Freedom of expression and all! Government property is another story. I’m all in favor of the Papal flag on the center pole, which is taller than the others, with the American flag and state flag on the other poles. To me, the Papal flag has nothing to do with the sovereignty of Vatican City, but it stands for the Catholic Church, the Church instituted by Christ, and through which we gain the merits of Christ’s death so that we might enter heaven. We are called to place God first in our lives, well then I think it is only fitting that we place His Church before any other institution.
Pax
I don’t know how accurate these rules are but they may be helpful: http://www.ehow.co.uk/list_5999133_laws-flying-u_s_-flag.html
The attitude in the US towards the national flag is quite different from here in the UK, where we don’t accord ours quite the same significance.
It would be very unusual, even shocking, to have our flags dispayed on the sanctuary for example. The papal flag is occasionally flown externally on Catholic churches, but rarely if ever permanently.
I’m glad this subject came as just the other day I was reminded of one of Father’s posts and a photograph that he posted some time last year about the Papal flag that he flew on a particular day, but couldn’t for the life of me remember what day it was.
Are there any days of the year that the flag is traditionally flown outside the Vatican?
And for what it’s worth..I will never post any flag above the Stars and Stripes.
I “fly” a Papal Flag in the form of a window sticker on my car. Or at least I used to; I just traded that car in.
I “fly” this bumper sticker on my SUV, complete with Papal flag:
I [heart] my German Shepherd
I need to get another one for my dog truck. It would be much funnier since there are actually dogs inside.
One should remember that this is the Vatican City flag, not the Papal flag.
Here is a good link with info on flying the US Flag and other flags with it in the US. While it does not impose penalties, leaving that to the states, it is Federal law and ought to be properly observed.
ridiculusmus: this is the Vatican City flag, not the Papal flag
Now that you mention it, we don’t know what he meant. I am pretty sure he didn’t mean the papal naval ensign.
I think we can assume that the questioner meant the usual yellow and white flag.
Ideally, national flags should be flown at the same level, with the US flag to the right. Other than that, I can see no problem with flying the Vatican flag as desired.
I think Flag Code requires you to fly the American flag if you are flying a foreign flag, but it doesn’t have force of law on private property. What you are likely to get if you fail to fly the U.S. flag would be lots of contact from the local chapter of the American Legion that would make you wish you had flown the U.S. flag to begin with.
There was a case in Arkansas several years ago where a Japanese car dealer had designed a logo with an American Flag in the foreground, and a Japanese flag in the background. Because of the nature of perspective, the Japanese flag was therefore “higher” than the U.S. flag. The American Legion started a big stink about it, and I believe the company ended up changing their logo.
Our parish has both the US and Vatican flags in Church. The seminary that I will be attending flies them alternately on their single flagpole. I’m not sure if there is any special rhyme or reason to it.
I like this description of an 18th century Papal flag (can’t find a picture):
“Dated in 1771, the British Encyclopedia reported a red flag bearing a cross over a stone (near the hoist) and a bear (looking to hoist) at fly.”
The stone presumably for Peter. The bear would be appropriate for the current Pope.
I wonder if anyone remembers that, as children in a parochial school, before marching in to class, grade by grade, to a recorded John Phillip Sousa march, we (at least in my school) pledged allegiance to the American flag, followed by a pledge to the Papal flag, which flew below the American flag. I still remember it over 70 years later.Often we sang a patriotic song, as well.
I pledge allegiance to the cross of Christ and to the Church for which it stands; One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, with grace and salvation for all.
Does anybody else remember that?