The idea and practice of having clergy dress in a distinctive way has a long history. The phrase “man of the cloth,” to mean a clergyman, goes back to the late 17th century. In 1701, Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels and himself a clergyman, used it in that sense.

In the West today, many priests avoid wearing clerical garb outside the church except when there is a particular reason to do so, as, for example, when visiting hospital patients.

Of course, they have long done so when taking a day off. Nowadays, some shun clerical garb because it can reinforce a clericalism that turns priests, who should be servants, into an elite entitled to special privileges. Others avoid it because in too many places the priesthood has come to be increasingly identified with crimes against children.

I read recently that a bishop in New Zealand has asked fashion designers to develop some form of dress for clergy in his diocese that would be distinctive and comfortable, as well as suitable to the culture and climate of that country. He was responding to the fact that few of his priests wear the clerical collar which is the distinctive mark of a priest, especially in the English-speaking world.

The customs of clerical garb vary from place to place. In the first centuries of the Church’s history, there was no particular dress for those exercising ministry. Even our current vestments evolved from what was at one time everyday dress. Men’s fashions changed, but the Church kept to an old-fashioned style that eventually became the liturgical norm.

Particularly in the 20th century the “Roman collar,” which probably has its origins in 19th-century Anglican garb, has become more and more common, though not universal. When Pope Benedict XVI was elected, news stories carried photos of a young Father Joseph Ratzinger in the common dress of German priests: a suit and tie.

In tropical countries, priests and bishops generally wear a light-colored, open-collar shirt with a lapel pin, largely because a Roman collar, uncomfortable to begin with, can be unbearable in the heat and humidity of the tropics. Clerical sweat smells and feels no better than lay sweat.

In Japan, the majority of Caucasian priests do not wear traditional clerical garb because it can interfere with our work as missioners. There is a misconception in Japan, as in much of Asia, that Christianity is a Western religion. A Roman collar under a Western face reinforces that prejudice, making the mission of the Church more difficult.

For formal occasions, Western priests here often wear a jacket and tie and a lapel pin shaped like a cross or another religious symbol that would be recognizable to Catholics. So, for us, clerical dress in Japan has by and large come to be the same as that of Father Ratzinger.

Quite a few Japanese and other Asian priests in Japan also follow the necktie or open collar fashion because non-Christians are likely to be reluctant to talk with anyone in clerical garb. While the collar might signal “shepherd” to Catholics, especially in the West, for those with little knowledge beyond what they see in films and television, the message can be “wolf.”

So, many of us priests in Japan find it easier to meet people first and then in the course of conversation inform them of our priesthood. The same seems to be the situation in much of the rest of Asia as well.

This raises the question of the whole concept of special dress for clergy, especially in countries where Christians are the minority and an important part of any priest’s vocation of evangelization is meeting non-Christians.

In South and Southeast Asia, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious figures wear distinctive garb that is a normal part of any street scene. Perhaps in those highly religious cultures some form of culturally appropriate and recognizable form of dress for Catholic clergy would be a good idea. Where people are used to clothing that proclaims a religious affiliation and role, Christians should probably make distinctive dress a part of inculturation. Of course, developing such a “uniform” would probably embroil bishops, priests and lay people in arguments about fashion as all advocate a different style.

In East Asia, where religious garb of any sort is seldom seen in public, the style that has evolved in Japan over the years may be the best. It allows priests to meet “those not yet gathered at the table of the Lord” (to use a Japanese Catholic phrase), who might otherwise avoid anyone who looks out of the ordinary, yet allows local Catholics to recognize a priest when they are looking for one.

Source: Clothing the clergy (UCAN)

Related posts:

1. Cardinal vows to end clergy sex abuse
2. Aging clergy face a difficult retirement
3. Women are also victims of clergy sex abuse
4. Clergy-laity rift over educational project
5. Humpty Dumpty in the Vatican

Stay in Touch

Subscribe to Religious India free Newsletter