Q: I understand that the colour of the vestments for funerals is violet. However, watching the funeral of Pope Benedict on TV I note that it is red even for priests, although I notice that there were a few bishops in violet. Does it mean that the colour for a Pope’s funeral is red and that violet is also acceptable?.
Thank you always for edifying us all these years.
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A: The color of vestment for funerals in the Catholic Church may vary from one conference to another. In the US it is white, violet or black. However, because a pope is a successor to the apostle Peter, red vestments are worn for a papal funeral at the Vatican.