The first time I saw the crest, I was nine. I understood what was being explained to me—that the coat of arms belonged to the Rapoports, which meant it belonged to me. But I had a hard time grasping ...

One would have thought that in the post-Vatican II era, the papacy — which had dispensed with coronations, tiaras, silken gloves, the sedia gestatoria and ostrich feather fans, — would have shelved ...