The Pope Emeritus' New Shoes and the Mexican Man Who Makes Them Carrie Kahn - NPR.org
go to original March 1, 2013

Armando Martin Dueñas shows replicas of the hand-crafted loafers given to Pope Benedict XVI. (Alfredo Valadez/AP)

As Pope Benedict XVI left the Vatican and his papacy, he slipped out of his trademark red shoes and put on a pair of Mexican leather loafers. The shoes, actually three pairs, two burgundy and one brown, were a gift to the Pope during his trip last year to Mexico.

Armando Martin Dueñas is the Catholic cobbler who made the pope's new favorite footwear. Martin Dueñas hails from the Mexican city of Leon, which has a 400-year history of shoe making. His great grandfather started the family tradition. But they've never received so much attention as they have this week. Tuesday the Vatican's spokesman said the pope would forgo wearing red papal shoes and spend his golden years in Mexican shoes.

The red shoes, by the way, is a tradition that dates back to 1566, when St. Pope Pius V, a White Dominican, decided to change the papal vestment from red to white. The pope's cap, cape and shoes are the only bits of red left from the pre-1566 days.

Since the former pope moves to his new role as Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, he has to leave the red shoes behind. That's where Martin Dueñas' shoes come in. They are burgundy.

Martin says since the Vatican's announcement, his phone has been ringing off the hook.

Read the whole story at NPR.org

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