Pope's goldsmith hopes ring will be spared destruction
ITALY: The goldsmith who crafted the "Fisherman's Ring" worn
by Pope Benedict XVI said he hoped his work would not be destroyed once
the pontiff steps down as is customary in Catholic tradition.
"I hope the ring is preserved and exhibited. It is a jewel that has
so much symbolic value," Claudio Franchi, a Rome artisan who was
commissioned to make the gold ring when the pope was elected in 2005,
told AFP in an interview Monday.
Benedict was the first pope since the 19th century to commission a
"Fisherman's Ring" -- his predecessor John Paul II wore a simple gold
ring with a cross -- and he has worn the chunky gold ring at all his
major public appearances.
The ring is so called because it depicts Saint Peter, who was a
fisherman by trade, pulling up his net from a boat. The one worn by the
current pontiff carries the inscription "Benedictus XVI" -- the pope's
official title in Latin.
Benedict referred to it at his first mass as pope in which he was
handed the papal pallium -- a type of vestment -- and the ring. He spoke
of the Gospel story of Jesus Christ telling his future disciples that he
would make them "fishers of men".
Franchi said the ring was placed on St Peter's tomb before the pope
first put it on.
The ring has an elliptical shape -- an artistic representation of St
Peter's Square, the famous Vatican plaza designed by Gian Lorenzo
Bernini in the 17th century.
AFP
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