Whats with the Popes red shoes?
Believe it or not there is a legitimate dogmatic reason for every garment worn by the pope. The previous pope chose not to wear the red shoes and instead donned a common brown shoe to symbolize his identification with the common man. The current pope has chosen to adopt traditional practices of the papal office dating back to the Roman Empire. Traditionally the pope wore red leather shoes as a symbol of the martyrdom of St. Paul (the Apostle Paul in the Bible who is the “first” pope according to Catholic tradition). For some more information on the papal dress code see this Canadian article: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=450529.
