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January 13, 2023You may have noticed that we have two flags in the Church. The US flag is on the left side of the sanctuary, by the side door, and another flag is on the other side, by the right side door. We had another of those flags in the garage, for some reason, and I’ve put that one in Jerome Hall. That is the flag of the Vatican City State, usually known as the Vatican Flag. It is a square flag with two vertical bars of yellow and white. Inside the white bar is the coat of arms of the Holy See. Various flags have been used for the Vatican over the centuries. Some of them were red and yellow, and some were white and yellow, like the current flag. In 1808 Pope Pius VII chose the colors yellow and white to represent the Vatican, but there were various designs of yellow and white flag used until the conquest of the Papal States by King Victor Emmanuel II in 1870. Negotiations finally resulted in the establishment of Vatican City as a separate nation state from Italy in 1929, and the current flag was chosen as the official flag and first officially hoisted on June 8, 1929.
So, why do we have both the American and Vatican flags hanging in the Church? Typically, Churches are considered to be under that authority of both the country they’re in and of the Catholic Church, so we always like to have both the national flag and Vatican Flag. This shows that we are loyal to the Catholic Church and the Pope, but that we are also called to the virtue of patriotism. Hopefully you already know about the symbolism of the American flag, what the colors and stars and stripes represent, but you may not know about the Vatican flag.
The yellow and white of the flag come from the keys of St. Peter, often shown in statues and images of St. Peter, which represent his authority as Vicar of Christ. Often, one key is gold and one is silver, which is where the yellow and white come from. In the Gospel of Matthew the Lord says to Peter, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven” (Mt 16:18-19).
The coat of arms is centered on the white panel. It consists of two crossed keys, one of gold and one of silver, tied together by a red cord and topped with the papal tiara. The keys are the keys of the kingdom of heaven mentioned above, given to St. Peter. They represent the Pope because the Pope is the successor of St. Peter. The red cord is a cincture, such as the one worn around the waist of a priest or deacon during Mass.
The Papal Tiara, also called the Triregnum, is above the keys. It symbolizes the triple authority of the Pope: father of kings, governor of the world, and Vicar of Christ. The Pope is the Father of Kings because Christian monarchs are traditionally crowned by the Pope or a bishop. He is called governor of the world because of his worldly authority to govern the Church and Vatican City, and he is the Vicar of Christ because of his spiritual authority. It is also said that the three crowns represent the Church militant on earth, the Church suffering in purgatory, and the Church triumphant in heaven. The Papal Tiara dates back to at least 1314.
We fly these flags because they represent our patriotism and faith. Patriotism is a virtue, and so we have a moral responsibility to show true patriotism for our nation. Patriotism doesn’t mean blindly ignoring the faults of our nation, but showing gratitude and love for our nation and always acting for her good. However, the best thing we can do for our country is promote faith in God, and so we also fly the Vatican flag, representing our fidelity to God and His Church.
