Okay, so something has to be said on Idol Chatter about the lighter side of Pope Benedict XVI's visit: his bright, ruby red(!!) shoes. Yes, he wore them everywhere throughout his entire U.S. visit, and yes, everyone in the media commented on them, from the Associated Press to the BBC. Reporters couldn't seem to get enough of them.
And no, despite popular thinking, they are not Prada!
I learned this little factoid from my favorite bit of reporting about Pope Benedict's footwear--an entire story devoted to discusssing the infamous red shoes (cue the Elvis Costello) on NPR's "All Things Considered." Among other things, I also found out that the shoes are made by an Italian shoemaker, who charges 400 Euros per pair of handmade shoes, about $600 U.S. dollars. That's a steep price for anyone to pay to follow in the Pope's footsteps so to speak, but the pontiff gets them for free!
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I believe it was Charles Mingus who composed and performed "The Shoes of the Fisherman are some Jive *ss Slippers". Do you suppose this gets much play in the back hallways of the Vatican?
Anthony Quinn was nominated for best actor in the film "The Shoes of the Fisherman". It actually anticipated the election of JP2 in '78, though the story of the film was placed in the late 1980's.
I think only the Pope and Dorothy can rally pull off such flashy low-heeled shoes
I think the Pope's choice of footwear really says something about his character. To wear such fancy red shoes with such a simple--yet somewhat fancy--white vestment tells me that he dares to be different, and also has a bit of a child-like nature. (Anyone who has ever been a parent of a child who insists on dressing him/herself would get that!) I commend His Holiness for his nonconformity!
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