Papal litter

The last papal coronation, St. Peter’s Square, June 30, 1963. The Holy Father Paul VI, dressed in pontifical Mass vestments instead of a mantum, because the singing of the traditional Terce preceding the Holy Mass had been abandoned, greets the cheering crowds from the height of the sedia gestatoria. This photo perfectly illustrates how not only beautiful but simply right the papal litter was, thanks to which the Bishop of Rome was clearly visible to the faithful even during liturgical processions preceding or ending the papal chapels.