(NEXSTAR) – At the final Mass at the Vatican Wednesday before the secretive conclave process officially kicked off, a sea of red and purple robes were visible in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The wardrobe choices weren’t a matter of taste – each robe symbolizes something different.
The red robes are worn by all 133 cardinals deliberating who will replace Pope Francis. The original reason cardinals started wearing red is disputed, but the hue is often said to represent the blood of martyrs or to show cardinals’ willingness to die for their religion.
Meanwhile, bishops and archbishops, who don’t rank quite as highly as cardinals and don’t participate in the conclave to pick the next pope, wear a shade of purple. According to Rev. Msgr. William J. King, the magenta-like shade is seen as a way to honor the suffering of Jesus Christ, imitating the color of his cloak during his trial.
Archbishop Diego Giovani Ravelli could be seen in purple vestments closing the doors to the Sistine Chapel (below) on Wednesday.
Red and purple are often worn by Catholic clergy during other times of the year. Red is typically seen during Good Friday and feast days for martyrs, reports The Vicksburg Post, and purple is worn during Lent and Advent.
The highest-ranking member of the Catholic Church, the pope, is typically seen in white and gold. These colors symbolize the birth and resurrection of Christ, and the pope wears them as the closest representative of the prophet, according to ABC News.
Red and purple aren’t the only key colors people are looking out for at the Vatican this week. The color of smoke emitted from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney indicates when a new pope has been chosen. Wednesday’s conclave session ended with black smoke, meaning no pope was chosen. White smoke would indicate that a new pope has been elected.
