Queen Sofía of Spain attended the canonisation ceremony for Pope Paul VI on Sunday at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City.
Her Majesty attended the Solemn Mass in the Plaza de San Pedro where His Holiness Pope Francis canonised Pope Paul VI. Slain Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero was also canonised.
Other famous faces at the religious ceremony were the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella; the President of El Salvador, Salvador Sánchez Cerén; the President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela; and the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera. Additionally, other political and ecclesiastical authorities participated, as well.
Queen Sofía attends the Solemn Mass. © Casa de S.M. el Rey
There were 12 delegations in attendance, which were led by the Spanish. The Spanish delegation consisted of Queen Sofía; the Minister of Culture and Sports, José Guirao; the Undersecretary of Justice, Cristina Latorre; the Archbishop of Madrid, Carlos Osoro; the secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, José María Gil Tamayo; and the ambassador of Spain to the Holy See, Gerardo Bugallo.
The Queen greets His Holiness. © Casa de S.M. el Rey
Queen Sofía, the wife of Spain’s former King Juan Carlos and mother of the reigning King Felipe, also used her privilège du blanc when meeting His Holiness Pope Francis in the Chapel of Mercy before the Solemn Mass began.
Privilège du blanc, meaning the privilege of white in English, is a Catholic custom extended to certain royal women when meeting the Pope. The royal woman must be a Catholic of good standing who is married to a reigning Catholic monarch. Those who have been given the honour of privilège du blanc are the queens of Belgium and Spain, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the Princess of Monaco, and the Princess of Naples.
