April 7, 2005
Snapping the dead pope on a camera phone
They have come to pay their final respects, so is taking a mobile phone picture of the Pope's body disrespectful or just a sign of how times changed during his 26-year papacy? The BBC reports.
I actually wondered about this in a previous post, I was surprised mourners paying hommage to the Pope were allowed to use cameras and cameraphones.
For the BBC, "to some it is distasteful, inappropriate and plain disrespectful. To others it is recording an historic moment to share with those who cannot be there.
But it is a sensitive area. Regulations about photographing and filming a dead pope were bought in after Pius XII's personal doctor, Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, sold sensationalistic photographs of the dying and dead Pope to the media in 1958.
Taking pictures or filming a pope on his sick bed were banned and anyone taking pictures after death must have permission of the chamberlain and show the body only in pontifical vestments.
But having been embalmed and in vestments, there are no rules to stop the public taking pictures of the Pope lying in state and Vatican security staff have made no attempt to stop them, but is it disrespectful?
Julian Baggini, editor of The Philosophers' Magazine, says people often try to pin moral judgements on what is a matter of social etiquette.
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