Simple chairs for simple Pope

MANILA, Philippines–Knowing Pope Francis’ preference for simple things, artisans tasked to craft the papal chairs are making sure the finished products will suit his taste for simplicity.

The Argentine Pontiff’s three papal chairs—one for each of the three big events scheduled in Manila—will be made of Philippine mahogany without many embellishments, according to Robert Cruz, owner of VitreArtus, a 20-year-old producer of liturgical arts and furniture.

“We know how simple Pope Francis is. So if we give him a grandiose chair, he might not use it. He might pull a monobloc chair instead,” Cruz told reporters.

For the papal chair that will be installed during the Eucharistic celebration to be led by Pope Francis at Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Jan. 18, the papal coat of arms will be prominent, flanked by wooden carvings shaped like anahaw leaves to give it a Filipino touch.

Its base and sides will also be adorned with bamboo while a small relief sculpture of a shepherd with an inscription “Ang Mabuting Pastol” (the Good Shepherd) will be placed above the backrest, Cruz said.

“It is in Filipino, not in Latin, so that it will be more understandable and people can easily identify with it,” he explained.

At least 6 million Filipinos are expected to attend the Holy Mass at Luneta, which will formally conclude the Pope’s apostolic visit to the country before he heads back to the Vatican the following day.

Pope Francis celebrates Mass on the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Friday, Dec. 12, 2014. Artisans tasked to craft the papal chairs during his visit to the Philippines in January are making sure the finished products will suit his taste for simplicity. AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

For the Pontiff’s meeting with families at SM Mall of Asia Arena on Jan. 16, the papal chair will be more modern but still without adornments except for some gold-painted leaves that will provide the accent, he said.

Simple but beautiful

The papal chair for the event at the University of Santo Tomas will also exude the same quality: noble, simple, but still beautiful, he added.

For the Luneta event alone, Cruz’s Laguna-based firm will make more than 30 pieces of liturgical furniture, which include seven candelabras, a 5-foot lectern, 10 chairs for the bishops concelebrating with Pope Francis and 14 other chairs for the readers and other lay members.

VitreArtus has also been commissioned to fabricate the altar, which Cruz said would be painted pale yellow with a copper accent and green anahaw patterns. This will be double the size of a regular altar, he pointed out.

“We already stopped accepting new commissions and we might not have a Christmas break to finish these in time for the papal visit,” said Cruz, who has 70 workers to help him finish the job.

Fr. Alex Bautista, chair of the Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church in the Diocese of Tarlac, also helped with some of the designs of the furniture, which Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has delivered to the Vatican for approval.

“I think the designs were already approved last week,” Cruz said.

While everything would be simple, he said it was still important to put serious and careful work into the furniture as this would help people experience God through the liturgy.

“The liturgy is about the worship of God so everything in it has to be directed toward the glorification of God just like sacred music … so we also have to produce beautiful sacred furniture,” he explained.

Selfie with Pope

Cruz also added that producing new sacred furniture for the papal visit reflected the Filipino value of hospitality.

“When we have visitors in our houses, we provide them with the best. We prepare our house, we buy new curtains, for instance,” he said.

“How much more [with Pope Francis]? He is a very special person so we want to provide him with the best,” he added.

Cruz said the project would cost roughly half a million pesos. “But when we offered to do everything, we were not thinking of charging for it. It is more of giving back, to give our own share to the success of the papal visit,” he said.

He also said having been picked to provide services for the papal visit was already a blessing.

“I am not asking for anything in exchange but it will be a great honor to have a selfie with the Pope,” he said.

Cruz disclosed that he had offered VitreArtus’ services six months ago with Fr. Genaro Diwa, head of the office of liturgy of the Archdiocese of Manila.

“We don’t consider this a business but more of a ministry or apostolate … We are happy that by means of our sacred furniture we are able to provide the faithful with a glimpse of heavenly realities. They see the beauty of God in our work so it is not about us but about seeing God in our work,” he added.

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