July 12, 2011

The Red Pileolus of the Chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen

In the Church of England there are some churches and abbeys called "Royal Peculiars", which means that they are not subject to a diocesan bishop, but to the Supreme Governor of the Church, who is the Queen. Westminster Abbey is one. In these churches the clergy wear red rather than black. So do the Queen's Chaplains.

Usually they wear the Sarum type of cassock, but the Anglo-Catholics wear a Roman cassock. One of these, a Queen's Chaplain, is the Rector of a London church. Fr Edward Lewis wears a full red Roman style cassock and a red pileolus (zucchetto).



Introduction of Fr Edward Lewis
20th of May 2011

6 comments:

  1. This is entirely made-up and if the Royal Household were to see these I should imagine there would be a serious fit.

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  2. Well, I can safely say that I have now seen everything - a ridiculous little man masquerading as a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. He is a dubiously baptised layman and a heretic. We can all see where his priorities lie.

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  3. Interesting last comment, in judgement of another. Fr Lewis, if you knew anything about him, is a well loved parish priest. He is an eccentric, and wore that outfit on that occassion as a piss take. It is a sad indictment of certain Roman Catholic's that the last commenter takes him/herself so very serioulsy, and is able to stand in judgement of another in such a way. That Fr Lewis was baptised as a Roman Catholic seems to suggest that not even the most concervative theologian would regard his baptism as dubious. Heretic...? Silly people with small minds do not keep company with Christ.

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  4. There are three different shades of red used ecclesiastically: the scarlet vermilion of cardinals, the scarlet of 'honour', which is slightly darker, and crimson.

    Fr Lewis is wearing the scarlet of honour and in no way 'masquerading' as a cardinal. This scarlet is worn by Chaplains to the Queen and clergy in the Royal Peculiars.

    Queen's Chaplains can choose to wear either the Anglican or the Roman cassock, and High Church Anglicans tend to favour the Roman cassock. All clergy have the right to wear a pileolus and fascia in the appropriate colour.

    Perhaps 'Anonymous' posting on July 14th should learn some facts about the Anglican Church before making such pettily scurrilous comments.

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    Replies
    1. Fr Lewis would never wear the Royal Scarlet as a 'piss take'. He is wearing the correct dress of a QHC (Queen's Honorary Chaplain). Queen's Honorary Chaplains and Members of the Ecclesiastical Household of the Sovereign (that is the Dean & Sub Dean of the Chapels Royal, the Priests in Ordinary to the Queen etc) may wear Royal Scarlet and a Royal cipher on their preaching scarf at any time. Clergy on the staff of Royal Peculiars also wear Scarlet, but only when on duty on the site of the Royal Peculiar.

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  5. I wonder where the priorities of anonymous trolls lie?
    Fr Lewis is properly attired as exactly what he is, a chaplain to HM the Queen. He is not a Roman Catholic, and the coincidence of dress with that of a Cardinal is therefore irrelevant. His chaplaincy is at the gift of the Queen, not of the Pope.

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