enhanced, in sinister base an M of the same. ||John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła, 1978–2005) || Wojtyła adopted his coat of arms in 1958, when he was created bishop, but with the charges in black instead of gold. As this violated the heraldic "tincture's canon" (black on blue, color on color) upon Wojtyła's election as pope, Vatican heraldist Monsignor Bruno Bernard Heim suggested he replace black by gold. The design shows the "Marian Cross", a cross with a capital M for Mary inscribed in one quarter, recalling "the presence of Mary beneath the cross". |- | || Gules, chape ployé or, with the scallop shell or; the dexter chape with a moor's head proper, crowned and collared gules, the sinister chape a bear trippant (*passant) Proper, carrying a pack gules belted sable.' ||Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger, 2005–2013) || Designed by Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo in 2005. The charges, a scallop shell, Moor's head, Corbinian's bear, are taken from his previous coat of arms, used when he was Archbishop of Munich and Freising. Both the Moor's head and Corbinian's bear are charges associated with Freising in Bavaria, Germany. |- |||Azure on a sun in splendour or the IHS Christogram ensigned with a cross paty fitchy piercing the H gules all above three nails fanwise points to centre sable, and in dexter base a mullet of eight points and in sinister base a spikenard flower or.||Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 2013–) || The gold star represents the Virgin Mary, the grape-like plant – the spikenard – is associated with Saint Joseph and the IHS emblem is the symbol of the Jesuits. |} Related coats of arms Notes References Michael McCarthy, Armoria Pontificalium: A Roll of Papal Arms 1012–2006 (2007), . Donald Lindsay Galbreath, A Treatise on Ecclesiastical Heraldry. Part I. Papal Heraldry (1930), revised ed. by G. Briggs, as Papal heraldry, Heraldry Today (1972). P. de Chaignon la Rose, The arms of Benedict XV : an introduction to the study of papal armorials'' (1915), archive.org. External links Photographs of Roman monuments displaying coats of arms of individual popes Images of papal coats of arms in Rome Vatican heraldry Pope