Q. 1. What is a zucchetto and what is it used for?

A. 1. The zucchetto a Roman Catholic cleric's skullcap: black for a priest, purple for a bishop, red for a cardinal, and white for the Pope.

The skullcap that is worn by the Catholic clergy is called the zucchetto.

The small, round skullcap of the ecclesiastic. The official name is pileolus; other designations are: berettino, calotte, subbiretum (because worn under the biretta), submitrale (because worn under the mitre), and soli-deo.

It is similar in appearance, but not identical, to the yarmulke, which Jewish men are required to wear during any sacred ceremonies or in a sacred place.

It original use was purely practical. Clerics were tonsured, had a ring of hair removed off the top of their head when they embraced celibacy. The skull-cap was meant to cover it and retain body heat, an absolute necessity in the unheated churches and monasteries of the past. From this practical use it acquired the role of identifying ecclesiastical rank by the color of the zucchetto.

Current use is governed by a Motu Proprio of Pope Paul VI in 1968, who made the zucchetto obligatory only for members of the hierarchy.