BANGKOK: A team of seamstresses are working round the clock to complete silk robes in brilliant gold and red for Pope Francis and his entourage during their visit to Thailand this month.
During his trip from Nov 20 to 23, the head of the Catholic Church is expected to meet top officials and host masses, apart from visiting the Catholic faithful.
According to the Bangkok Post, the Pope and his bishops, deacons and priests would be decked in the country’s finest threads.
Tailoring efforts are being supervised by Sister Sukanya from the Praharuthai Convent here.
‘I am proud and honoured that our convent has been chosen for this job,’ she said.
Thailand is famed for its silk and the convent was chosen since it has been making custom-made religious garments for generations.
Sister Sakunya heads a team of a dozen seamstresses, who have been working for the past two months to make the more than 200 robes. The two most important pieces, which are the matching robes for the pontiff, have been completed and are on display.
The pontiff will use the gold and yellow robe at his first mass on Nov 21 and the following day, he will use an identical robe in red and gold.
During his visit, the pope will meet the king and the prime minister, hold two masses and reunite with his second cousin, who runs a Catholic girls’ school in Udon Thani.
It has been nearly four decades since a pontiff visited Thailand and the trip will mark the 350th anniversary of the first official mission to the country.
After Thailand, Pope Francis will visit Japan. He will stay there until Nov 26.