Episcopal sandals

After the Second Vatican Council, the episcopal sandals fell out of common use and are not mentioned in the rubrics of the post-Vatican II Mass.

Episcopal sandals should not be confused with the velvet papal shoes, which Pope Benedict XVI reassumed.

These evolved as the outdoor counterpart of the papal slippers, which are similar to the episcopal sandals, but are worn by the Pope outside liturgical functions and are always red.

In the earliest period the campagi and udones were by no means exclusively an episcopal vestment, as they were worn by deacons.

This foot-covering was not reserved exclusively for the clergy, as they were worn as a mark of distinction by certain persons of rank, and were probably copied from the buskins of the ancient senators.

Their use gradually became customary among the higher clergy, especially when these appeared in their full official capacity for the celebration of the Liturgy.

During the eighth and ninth centuries also the Roman subdeacons and acolytes wore a distinctive foot-wear, the subtalares, which, however, were simpler than the campagi, and had no straps.

[1] The episcopal sandals are no longer normally seen in the Catholic Church, except for those liturgical ceremonies celebrated according to pre-Vatican II rubrics.

[1] Like the episcopal sandals, the use of the liturgical stockings is primarily confined to the pre-Vatican II Tridentine Mass.