Q. What are the present regulations regarding the permanent display of the American and papal flags in a church?

A. When Catholics assemble for worship, they bring with them their cultural, ethnic and national identities. These traits should not be devalued or denied unless, of course, there is something in them which is truly inimical to the Gospel of Christ. Still, the liturgy of the Church which is expressed in the various cultures of the people must always reflect a Church which is truly Catholic.

As an expression of this principle, Environment and Art in Catholic Worship, n. 101, states, "Although the art and decoration of the liturgical space will be that of the local culture, identifying symbols of particular cultures, groups, or nations are not appropriate as permanent parts of the liturgical environment. While such symbols might be used for a particular occasion or holiday, they should not regularly constitute a part of the environment of common prayer."

Q. May the American flag be used in place of the pall at funerals?

A. In the Rite of Funerals, the white pall serves as an extension of the baptismal garment given to a deceased person at his or her baptism. Since the Mass of Christian Burial makes constant allusion to baptism, the pall should be retained at Mass. The honors paid by the nation to one of its soldiers or veterans (symbolized by the use of the American flag and, perhaps, other military honors) is more appropriately incorporated into the graveside rites.

(The preceding responses are from the U.S. Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy Newsletter (Volume XVIII, page 96; December 1982.)

Q. Where is there information on the Flag Code?

A. The U.S. Flag Code may be found on several web sites, most notably http://www.usflag.org/uscode36.html. A useful summary of U.S. Flag etiquette is on the same site at http://www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html.

Q. What about the Papal flag?

A. The Papal flag is sometimes displayed to show our Catholic identity and our loyalty as Catholics to the Pope, just as the American flag signifies our patriotism as Americans.

Q. Is the Papal flag appropriate in church?

A. It is not a symbol of the Catholic Church as such, but the national flag of the Vatican City State. It was introduced in 1825, when much of Italy comprised the Papal States, and become the official flag of the tiny nation of Vatican City in 1929. Because it represents the Vatican as a political entity, rather than the Catholic Church itself, its use should be governed by the same principles as the flag of any other nation. For background see: http://flagspot.net/flags/va.html.