The Ring of the Fisherman or Pescatorio is an official part of the regalia worn by the pope, described by the Roman Catholic Church as the successor of Saint Peter, a fisherman by trade. The Fisherman's Ring is a signet used until 1842 to seal official documents signed by the pope. The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ... According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ... Categories: Stub ... Wiktionary has a definition of: Trade Trade centers on the exchange of goods and/or services. ... A Signet is a seal used to authenticate a document, typically by leaving an impression in sealing wax. ...

Pope Benedict XVI wearing his Pescatorio at his 2005 inauguration.

A new ring is cast in gold for each pontiff; the ring features a bas-relief of Saint Peter fishing from a boat. Raised lettering around the relief image presents the pope's Latin name. During the rite of Papal Inauguration or Papal Coronation the Cardinal Camerlengo ceremonially slips the ring on the left fourth finger of the new pope. On Pope Benedict XVI's occasion though, it was worn on the right finger, an action commented by Italian TV reporters as an act of "marrying" the Church. Upon a papal death, the Ring of the Fisherman is ceremonially crushed in the presence of other cardinals by the cardinal camerlengo, using a silver hammer. The action is needed to prevent the sealing of backdated, forged documents during the interregnum sede vacante period. General Name, Symbol, Number Gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 (IB), 6, d Density, Hardness 19300 kg/m3, 2. ... A ring is usually anything resembling a circle, or a noise that cycles rapidly. ... Bas relief is a method of sculpting which entails carving or etching away the surface of a flat piece of stone or metal. ... According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Pope John Paul I at the first papal inauguration, in September 1978. ... Historically, a Papal Coronation was a six-hour ceremony in which a new pope was crowned as head of the Roman Catholic Church (and before 1870, head of state of the Papal States). ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals, during a consistory. ... The title Camerlengo ( Italian for Chamberlain) refers to an official of the Papal court, referring either to the Chamberlain of the Roman Catholic Church, to the Chamberlain of the Sacred College of Cardinals, or to various lesser dignitaries. ... His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (in Latin Benedictus XVI) was born Joseph Alois Ratzinger on April 16, 1927. ... The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series Transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Density, Hardness 10490 kg/m3, 2. ... For the sport, see Hammer throw. ... An interregnum is a period between kings, or between popes of the Roman Catholic Church. ... In the Roman Catholic governance the vacant seat (in Latin, sede vacante) is the interregnum between a Popes death or resignation and the election of his successor. ... A period is an arbitrary interval of time. ...

A letter written by Pope Clement IV to his nephew Peter Grossi in 1265 includes the earliest known mention of the Ring of the Fisherman, used for sealing all private correspondence by pressing the ring into red sealing wax melted onto a folded piece of paper or envelope. Public documents, by contrast, were sealed by pressing the Papal seal into lead melted on the document. Such documents were historically called papal bulls, named after the stamped bulla of lead. Use of the Ring of the Fisherman changed during the fifteenth century when it was used to seal official documents called papal briefs. That practice ended in 1842, when the wax with its guard of silk and the impression of the fisherman's ring was replaced by a stamp which affixed the same device in red ink (Catholic Encyclopedia "Bulls"). Clement IV, né Guy Foulques (d. ... Events January 20 - In Westminster, the first English parliament conducts its first meeting. ... Sealing wax is used to seal envelopes. ... For the lead in news writing, see news style. ... A Papal bull is a written communication from the Vatican Chancery, bearing a formal papal seal. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Through the centuries, the Ring of the Fisherman did not become known for its practical use but by its feudal symbolism. Borrowing from the traditions developed by medieval monarchs, followers showed respect to the reigning pope by kneeling at his feet and kissing the Ring of the Fisherman. The tradition continues to this day. Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13060a.htm) The Ring of the Fisherman
• Catholic Encyclopedia: (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03052b.htm) Bulls and briefs

Papal rituals, symbols & ceremonial

Apostolic Palace| Coat of Arms of popes| Conclave| Coronation| Holy See| Inauguration| Papal Oath| Papal Ring| Sedia Gestoria| Sistine Chapel| Cathedral of St. John Lateran| Pallium| St. Peter's Basilica| St. Peter's Square| Papal Tiara| Vatican City Vatican coat of arms This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... The Palace of the Vatican, also called the Papal Palace or the Apostolic Palace, is the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City. ... Every pope of the Roman Catholic Church has his own personal coat of arms that serves as a symbol of his papacy. ... The Sistine Chapel is the location of the conclave. ... Historically, a Papal Coronation was a six-hour ceremony in which a new pope was crowned as head of the Roman Catholic Church (and before 1870, head of state of the Papal States). ... The coat of arms of the Holy See The term Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes, lit. ... Pope John Paul I at the first papal inauguration, in September 1978. ... The Papal oath, also known as the oath against modernism, was an oath taken by popes during their coronation. ... The sedia gestatoria is the portable throne on which Popes are sometimes carried. ... The Sistine Chapel (Italian: Cappella Sistina) is a chapel in the Palace of the Vatican, the official residence of the Roman Catholic Pope in the Vatican City. ... Late Baroque façade of the Basilica, completed, after a competition for the design, by Alessandro Galilei in 1735 St. ... The Pallium or Pall (derived, so far as the name is concerned, from the Roman pallium or palla, a woollen cloak) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries past bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol... Interior view, with the nave of the Cattedra in the back St. ... Berninis piazza was extended by the Via della Conciliazione, Mussolinis grand avenue of approach. ... Triregnum from the XVIII Century The Papal Tiara, also known as the Triple Tiara, Triregnum or Triregno1, is the three-tiered papal crown formerly worn by popes from Pope Clement V up to and including Pope Paul VI, who was crowned in 1963. ... The State of the Vatican City (Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanæ), is a landlocked enclave surrounded by the city of Rome in Italy, and the smallest independent state in the world (both in area and in population). ...