As popes frequently address large crowds in open-air settings, they—like everyone else—have to deal with capricious weather. Papal attire usually includes a skull cap (zucchetto) and small capes, either a white pellegrina or a red mozzetta—all very susceptible to gusts of wind. Over the years, photographers have captured many moments when the wind has swept away the Pope’s headgear or momentarily wrapped his mantle around his head.
The Pope vs. the Wind
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Read moreA gust of wind blows Pope Francis’s mantle during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on November 5, 2014. #
Alessandra Tarantino / AP -
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Read morePope Francis loses his zucchetto to a gust of wind in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on October 22, 2014. #
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Read morePope Benedict XVI fights the wind as he reads a prayer on Stephansplatz before a mass in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna on September 9, 2007. #
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Read moreA gust of wind lifts the zucchetto from Pope Francis’s head in St. Peter’s Square on May 20, 2015, at the Vatican. #
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Read moreA gust of wind lifts the drape with the Vatican’s symbol as Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his weekly Angelus prayer, from his window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican on November 15, 2009. #
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Read moreA priest tries to grab Pope Francis’s skull cap after a gust of wind blew it off in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on May 20, 2015. #
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Read moreA gust of wind blows Pope Francis’s mantle as he arrives to lead his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on February 19, 2014. #
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Read morePope Benedict XVI is surprised by a gust of wind as he addresses some 2,000 student priests at the Church of St. Pantaleon in Cologne, Germany, on August 19, 2005. #
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Read morePope Benedict XVI's skull cap is blown away by a gust of wind in St. Peter’s Square on May 24, 2008. #
Plinio Lepri / AP -
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Read moreA gust of wind blows Pope Francis’s pellegrina while he gives Mass to thousands of youths on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on July 25, 2013. #
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Read moreA gust of wind takes Pope Francis’s skull cap upon his arrival at the airport in Quito, Ecuador, on July 5, 2015. #
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Read moreWind wraps Pope Francis’s pellegrina around his head as he arrives in St. Peter’s Square on May 14, 2014. #
Gregorio Borgia / AP -
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Read moreWind blows Pope Benedict XVI’s cloak over his face as he is greeted by Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, left, in Arezzo, Italy, on May 13, 2012. #
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Read morePope Francis turns to see his skull cap blowing away in the wind as he leaves at the end of his weekly general audience at the Vatican on April 30, 2014. #
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Read morePope Benedict XVI walks beside German President Horst Koehler (not pictured) as heavy wind blows his cape into his face after his arrival at Cologne’s airport on August 18, 2005. #
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Read moreWind billows Pope Francis’s pellegrina as he leaves St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on June 12, 2013. #
Alessandra Tarantino / AP -
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