The Last Mantilla
~ A Quiet Remembrance for the Passing of Pope Francis ~
by K. K. Mercier | The Velvet Silence
April 21st, 2025.
Pope Francis — the People’s Pope — was laid to rest.
And with him, something softer slipped away:
the old, sacred etiquette of mourning.
The funeral gathered leaders and mourners, but the traditions once woven into such ceremonies... the black mantillas, gloves, long veils, and single strands of pearls — were largely and sadly absent.
There were no silent glances hidden behind lace; no soft gloved hands folded in prayer.
*** Pssst... the official Vatican protocol governing papal funerals is detailed in the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis (Rite of Burial of the Roman Pontiff). This liturgical book outlines the ceremonial procedures following the death of a Pope, including the funeral rites and associated dress codes. These guidelines are rooted in tradition and are intended to reflect the solemnity of the occasion. While deviations have occurred in recent times....
It is not blame I feel...
only a quiet ache.
For how can one mourn through a ritual never taught?
We live in an age where tradition whispers rather than commands.
But I still hear her voice.
I remember when pearls spoke of sorrow,
and veils were not vanity but reverence.
When mourning was a shared, sacred language, but now ... almost forgotten.
Perhaps we will never again see a sea of mantillas at a papal funeral.
But here, in The Velvet Silence, we can keep the memory —
like a candle flickering beneath stone arches.
*** In memoriam, Pope Francis ***
And in memory of all things quietly passing.
📜 Read more: https://substack.com/@kkmercier
📩 Contact: kwiatkowska.kate@gmail.com
#TheVelvetSilence #KKMercier #GuardianshipAbuse #LanguageAndPower #WhenSilenceIsAStrategy #SubstackWriter #ElegantAdvocacy #WrittenWitness #QuietIsAFormOfCourage #ReputationAndReckoning #WatchlistInVelvet #PoliteOppression
#DiscreetRebellion #LinguisticDeception
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There’s something I’ve been thinking about again.
Not all cruelty looks like rage.
Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s polished. Sometimes… it’s dressed as care.
The case of Monsieur Jean-Paul Guerlain weighs on me.
A man of culture and age, allegedly held in silence, inhumane conditions —
legally managed, reputationally shielded… and no longer heard.
The language of harm is often polite.
And that’s what makes it so effective.
I’m not here to accuse.
I’m here to witness.
And to write what cannot be allowed to disappear.
— K.K. Mercier
The Velvet Silence
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WHEN SILENCE IS A STRATEGY -
A quiet introduction to The Velvet Silence
There are silences born of reverence.
And others, crafted with precision, to protect power, conceal harm, and preserve reputation.
This is a space for observing what is often overlooked:
– exploitation disguised as care
– control hidden behind guardianship
– language used not to reveal, but to erase
I don’t raise my voice.
I simply refuse to look away.
Welcome to The Velvet Silence.
Where quiet becomes record, and remembrance is resistance.
📜 Read more: https://substack.com/@kkmercier
📩 Contact: kwiatkowska.kate@gmail.com
#TheVelvetSilence #KKMercier #GuardianshipAbuse #LanguageAndPower #WhenSilenceIsAStrategy #SubstackWriter #ElegantAdvocacy #WrittenWitness #QuietIsAFormOfCourage #ReputationAndReckoning #WatchlistInVelvet #PoliteOppression
#DiscreetRebellion #LinguisticDeception
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Exploring how language shapes belief, memory, and control. Essays, reflections, and quiet resistance.
Welcome to The Velvet Silence.
2 May 2013