mozzetta

plural mozzettas · plural mozzette · alternative mosette · alternative mozetta

1. CatholicismA short cape covering the shoulders and buttoned in front, with a hood, which is worn by the pope, cardinals, bishops, and other senior clergy.

   Benedict [XVI], the first pope to resign voluntarily in six centuries, will dress in a simple white cassock, forgoing the mozzetta, the elbow-length cape worn by some Catholic clergymen, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters at a news briefing.

   2013 February 26, Gaia Pianigiani, Elisabetta Povoledo, “Benedict XVI to be known as emeritus in retirement”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Jun 2024

   2 more examples

   On that night of his election he [Pope Francis] stepped out on to the balcony overlooking Saint Peter's Square in simple white robes, refusing the fancy red mozzetta or cape that Benedict [XVI] had sported when he had been announced as pope. When told to put on white trousers, he later remembered in his autobiography, he replied: "I don't want to be an ice-cream seller."

   2025 April 21, Peter Stanford, “Pope Francis obituary: Leader of the Catholic church who pushed for social and economic justice, and an urgent response to the climate crisis”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 25 Apr 2025

   The most notable figure in the room is Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is the Pope [Francis]'s "camerlengo" or chamberlain and runs the Vatican until a new Pope is chosen. The cardinal – in red mozzetta and cassock – is shown blessing the body of the late Pope during the rite of the declaration of death.

   2025 April 22, “In Pictures: Symbolism on Show as Pope Francis Lies in Open Coffin”, in BBC News, archived from the original on 28 Apr 2025