The coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI soon after the papal election. Benedict's coat of arms has omitted the papal tiara, which traditionally appears in the background to designate the Pope's position as a worldly ruler like a king, replacing it with a simple mitre, emphasising his spiritual authority!
Scallop shell: The symbolism of the scallop shell is multiple,while it represent the pilgrim church(as II Vatican COuncil formulates)being a symbol for pilgrims for Santiago de Compostela , the other meanings is thought to represent Saint Augustine.The legend tells,that St Augustine was humilated in his scholastic thinking when he met the child Christ on the shore with a shell digging a hole to place the entire ocean in it!!
Moor of Freising: The Moor's head is an heraldic charge associated with Freising, Germany where Benedict first serve as Archbishop.It deplicate an african slave with a crown in his head,meaning a freed one out of bondage from sin!!
Corbinian's bear: A legend states that while travelling to Rome, Saint Corbinian's pack horse was killed by a bear. He commanded the bear to carry the load. Once he arrived, he released it from his service, and it returned to Bavaria. The implication is that "Christianity tamed and domesticated the ferocity of paganism and thus laid the foundations for a great civilisation in the Duchy of Bavaria." At the same time, Corbinian's bear, as God's beast of burden, symbolises the weight of office that Benedict now carries. It also symbolises our ideals of change from our ways of BEAST into Gods beast of burden for his kingdom!!
Scallop shell: The symbolism of the scallop shell is multiple,while it represent the pilgrim church(as II Vatican COuncil formulates)being a symbol for pilgrims for Santiago de Compostela , the other meanings is thought to represent Saint Augustine.The legend tells,that St Augustine was humilated in his scholastic thinking when he met the child Christ on the shore with a shell digging a hole to place the entire ocean in it!!
Moor of Freising: The Moor's head is an heraldic charge associated with Freising, Germany where Benedict first serve as Archbishop.It deplicate an african slave with a crown in his head,meaning a freed one out of bondage from sin!!
Corbinian's bear: A legend states that while travelling to Rome, Saint Corbinian's pack horse was killed by a bear. He commanded the bear to carry the load. Once he arrived, he released it from his service, and it returned to Bavaria. The implication is that "Christianity tamed and domesticated the ferocity of paganism and thus laid the foundations for a great civilisation in the Duchy of Bavaria." At the same time, Corbinian's bear, as God's beast of burden, symbolises the weight of office that Benedict now carries. It also symbolises our ideals of change from our ways of BEAST into Gods beast of burden for his kingdom!!
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