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Heraldic Norms in the Latin Rite
The goal of all personal heraldry, both ecclesiastical and secular, is to clearly identify without confusion the bearer and his rank. To this end, the Holy See has, over the centuries, set in place several laws governing what can and cannot be used to ornament a person's coat of arms. The Church does not regulate what goes on the shield itself -- that is a personal choice left to the bearer -- rather the Church merely outlines what decorations can be used in addition to the shield. Except for the pope, who as the supreme legislator in the Church may alter or disregard past laws or traditions, all members of the hierarchy are bound by this system.
The coats of arms of clergy and religious, unlike secular arms, do not use a helmets, crests, mantling, supporters, or any other related items. Instead, all clergy use a galero, or as it is frequently called, a pontifical hat. A combination of colors and the number of tassels (also known by their Italian name fiocchi) serve to distinguish the various ranks of clergy. Over the centuries, various other liturgical items have been used as ornaments, but today all are prohibited except the processional cross. In large part, four pieces of papal legislation presently govern the coats of arms of the hierarchy.
The bull Militantes Ecclesiae (19 December 1644) by Pope Innocent X prohibits cardinals from displaying secular external ornaments, such as crowns, honorific decorations, and symbols of knighthood. Artists who ignored this prohibition did so under pain of excommunication. The bull was for the most part followed in the Papal States, but largely ignored in the rest of Europe. The last cardinal to display arms in violation of this law died in 1895. In 1915, Pope Benedict XV extended this prohibition to all bishops and patriarchs. Sadly, at the behest of Emperor Franz Josef, this decree was flatly ignored in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire where bishops were also princes. However, with the fall of the empire after World War I, this disobedience soon disappeared, and it can now be said that Benedict XV's prohibition is adhered to everywhere.
Building on custom during l'Ancien Regime in France , Napoleon imposed a set of heraldic norms for clerical arms forcing adherence to them in the French Empire and the territories he conquered. Ironically, though Napoleon was anathema to the Vatican, in 1832 the Sacred Congregation of Ceremonial enacted a system for all bishops' and cardinals' arms based on his. In 1905, Pope St. Pius X's decree Inter Multiplices Curas (21 February 1905) built upon the 1832 system extending it to include all the various ranks of lesser clergy.
Given through the Secretariat of State, Pope Paul's instruction Ut Sive (31 March 1964) altered the make up of episcopal arms into what we see today. Prior to this instruction, almost all bishops outside of Italy placed a precious miter, a processional cross, and a crozier behind their shield. The Roman custom, which was prevalent in Italy, made use of just the processional cross to indicate the bearer's episcopal character. Pope Paul VI extended this custom without exception making it mandatory for all Catholic bishops throughout the world. The prohibition is largely followed, but some recent episcopal arms have begun to reintroduce this practice despite the prohibition. A recent example are the arms of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone while he was archbishop of Genoa. When he was named a cardinal in 2003, however, he dropped the crozier and miter.
For more detailed outlines of the ornaments for each rank of clergy, follow the individual links below.