Meechi’s Blog

Meeting His Holiness, The Pope, can be a wonderful and life-changing experience and is an opportunity that not everyone gets. When meeting His Holiness, you should act and dress professionally, like you are meeting the President of the United States or a foreign dignitary. The dress code for guys, who have private and/or semi-private audiences with the Pope, are dark suits and plain-colored dress shoes.

For the gals, who have a private audience with the Pope, the dress code are dresses that cover the shoulders and the knees, although, dress pants can be worn, as well, when meeting the Pope in private (in earlier times, dress pants were not accepted as an appropriate form of clothing.)

If you want to write or to the Pope, via postal mail, the address to write His Holiness, is: His Holiness, The Pope or His Holiness Pope, (the name of His Holiness), Vatican City, 00817 Rome, Italy. and use the salutation of “His Holiness,” when writing the pontiff. Furthermore, when you you address the pontiff himself, you should say, “Your Holiness” or “Most Holy Father,” regardless of religion, or lack of religious affiliation.

Before meeting the pope, be sure to listen to the instructions of the Pope’s assistants, as to where you should stand in waiting, in the audience room, to meet and greet the Pope. When you are finally called to be received by His Holiness, either make a low curtsy or bow. After making one of these gestures, take and shake his hand, kiss his ring ( if you are Catholic) or his right hand, if you not Catholic.

One more thing: when meeting the pope for a private or semi-private audience; you should keep the conversation going in a pleasant and non-offensive manner, since you are in the presence of a very high religious and political figure, such as the Pope, and you do not want to do and say anything that might be inappropriate to the feelings and beliefs of His Holiness or his staff, so good manners and good dress are a must.

So, if you ever do have a chance of a lifetime to greet and meet the pope, you should treat this opportunity, like there is no tomorrow (almost like there is not tomorrow) and ‘make it count’ as some would say. Well, cheers and good luck, if you do ever meet the Pope.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS