The recent trip to Italy of the newly elected president of the United States, Donald Trump, recently concluded, which saw him first engaged in an official visit to the Pope, then among the participants of the G7 of Taormina, offers the opportunity to deal with some issues related to the so-called ceremonial that, unfortunately, is unfortunately confused, by some press organs and by certain public, with etiquette, if not, even as a simple and reductive "know how to dress", often becoming a topic of pure gossip.
We try, then to do some 'clarity.
What is meant by "Ceremonial": differences with the etiquette.
First of all, as mentioned, it is necessary to distinguish between ceremonial and etiquette. The first can be considered the set of rules (alias protocol, from the Greek πρωτόκολλον, comp. of πρῶτος «first» and κόλλα «glue», the term used to indicate the first sheet of a roll of papyrus made up of the juxtaposition, by means of glue, of several sheets) governing the institutional forms to which both institutions must comply and public offices, as well as individuals who have contact with them, and which concern the identification and use of symbols, the rank and official behavior of offices, formal relationships between national and international institutions, as well as public relations that belong to the official life of representation1.
The second, however, concerns the person in his individuality, and is naturally implied by the former, although the mutual norms may in some cases be contrasting: to give an example, while in the ceremonial there are no gender differences (male-female) because every public office is considered neutral, it can not be said to be the same for etiquette.
What is the risk when the ceremonial is not respected
It should be immediately premised that although the rules of ceremonial are not really many and that their respect is not obligatory at all, it is clear that their violation could lead to unpleasant consequences in many ways: from that of reciprocity to that of judgment of style (certainly not flattering) which, inevitably, it would follow, by the counterpart, and that would obscure the image of the institution concerned.
On the other hand, if one considers that, starting from the First Protocol stipulated at the 1815 Congress of Vienna (in which the main European powers took part, which, for the first time, decided that the most opportune way to resolve the great conflicts and international issues were to hold meetings in which all the nations involved participated: an idea which, since then, has increasingly permeated the culture of European diplomacy, leading then, a century later, first to the birth of the League of Nations and, unless of 150 years since the closure of the Congress, to that of the United Nations), we tried to codify some behaviors in order to facilitate international relations and make them as intelligible as possible, especially between cultures very distant from each other, with the ultimate goal of to avoid further bloody wars, it is well understood their value that, today, reverberates fully among the useful ingredients for good results of any meeting of a certain importance.
Trump's visit to the Pope
In the case of state visits to the Pope, a very detailed protocol is activated (Vatican Protocol, also called civil ceremonial, which must be kept separate from the cd liturgical, which applies, however, to religious ceremonies), which provides, in particular, a whole series of rules, from the arrival in St. Peter's Square to those concerning the clothing of visitors, gifts to pay homage to the Holy Father, positions during the ritual photos and, of course, those to be taken during the relevant interview.
Generally speaking, in fact, after the arrival in the aforementioned Piazza (S. Pietro), the guest is led, through the entrance to the arch of the bells, in the courtyard of San Damaso, where there is the guard of the Swiss guards and the musical band: there, while a delegation of gentlemen of His Holiness receives the correspondent (delegation) that accompanies him, the aforesaid (guest of honor), is welcomed by the prefect of the papal house, which then introduces him into the papal antechamber through the halls of the apostolic palace.
It is then received by the Pope at 11, in his private library, for the formal interview (during which the guest sits in front of him, if of the same rank, or beside, if of lower rank) who, generally, does not it lasts never more than thirty minutes. At its end, the consort and the delegates are introduced, who are presented to the Pontiff. Then follow any speeches, official photos, exchange of gifts and farewell, any visit to the Secretary of State, and then (guest and accompanying) descend in the courtyard of San Damaso with the final honors and hymn vatican (the first leg instead, the anthem is that of the host country).
The conversation with Trump took place with the two seated facing each other, separated from the desk, which on this occasion, as on other occasions, is decorated with a desk service only on the side of the Pontiff, thus wanting to imply a position of pre-eminence. on the part of the Pope, who places himself more as a pastor than as a Head of State. The same table above, its position, and the large crucifix that stands there, recalls, not by chance, a confessional.
The clothing
As for clothing, it is expected that women present themselves in the presence of the Pope dressed completely in black, with the skirt below the knee, the black stockings, the head covered by veil, without perfumes or jewels (not to show vanity, unless that it is not pearls): on the other hand, the holy figure of the Pontiff (which is, not by chance, already dressed in white) imposes a very topical ceremony, in which every aspect is destined to focus on His figure, so that we can better grasp the message that, on different occasions, He sends, and we can receive the sensation, even formal, that it (message) goes beyond the merely human and earthly boundaries2.
As for men, however, they too must dress in a sober manner, with a tailor suit and with a tie or, better yet, with frac (with a black vest) and decorations.
On this point, the Trump spouses seem to have fully respected the protocol.
The photos
As for the photos to be granted to the press, however, as for the other protocols, also for the Vatican there is the so-called "Right Rule", according to which the most important personality must be on the right, while in the case of visits between "equal degree", is left to the sensitivity of the landlord respect for the good rule of giving that position to the guest, as a sign of respect and, indeed, hospitality.
Even here, if in the group photo the American president is to the right of the Pope, in the single picture (taken at the end of the interview), it is instead to His left: there are two moments, if one thinks, different, of which the second is probably the most important one, having dealt with issues related to international politics, on many of which, however, the differences between the two are known.
As for the first photograph (the one with the relatives in tow), there was no lack of criticism for the smile, considered by many as inappropriate, by Trump, in the face of the most serious attitudes of his family and of the Pope himself. But maybe a smile (unless you want to see in it a disrespectful or teasing attitude, but this does not seem to be the case) you can forgive, especially among the Vatican walls.
The gifts.
Lastly: the gifts. In democratic systems they have an exclusively symbolic value and their value, in addition to not having to overcome, generally speaking, the limits provided for by some national legislation, must take into account the rules of convenience and opportunities that are valid everywhere, and which impose a sober choice (which however - mind you - should not be to the detriment of elegance and good taste). Moreover, they must never be too personal, in order not to appear confidential.
Thus, among those that the Pope presented to Donald Trump, there was the message for the World Day of Peace entitled "Non-violence, style of a policy for peace" and the three programmatic documents of the Pontificate: the Evangelii gaudium, Laudato yes and Amoris laetitia. Instead, Trump delivered a blue box to the Pope, saying that it contained "books by Martin Luther King. I think she will like them, I hope so. "
Also significant is the other gift given by the Pope to the American president: the medallion with the olive branch that unites the divided stone, and the jokes that followed. "This is a gift for her to be an instrument of peace", said the Pontiff to Trump after having explained to him that it represented a" symbol of peace. "The latter, in turn, replied:"We need peace".
We all hope that it is truly a step towards peace, the great gift that the whole world would benefit from.
* Eleonora Spalvieri has a degree in Modern Languages and Literatures. He attended the Ceremonial Expert Course and National and International Protocol at the SIOI - Italian Society for International Organization.
1 Massimo Sgrelli, The Ceremonial, Di Felice Editore, ed. 2016
2 ibid
(photo: White House / Twitter / Web)
