Sunday Off-Topic: Pope's Robes

Every Introduction course always has its off-topic tangents, and Catholicism 101 is no different. On Sundays, we'll delve into some aspects of Catholicism that we might not otherwise get to. These areas are kind of up to my whim, but they will usually focus on unusual parts of Catholicism.

Since most popes were cardinals prior to their election as Bishop of Rome, they continued to wear their scarlet clothes with white ermine fur embellishing it during the Middle Ages. However, Pope St. Pius V (elected 1566) decided to keep his white Dominican habit. He adapted the cassock (a full-length clerical gown), making it white. The pope has worn a white cassock ever since. Cardinals wear red, bishops wear purple, and priests wear black.