Italian director offers fashion advice to Pope

Dec 17, 2007 / 09:58 am

Italian film, stage and opera director Franco Zeffirelli has said Pope Benedict XVI needs a makeover of his “cold” image and his “showy” clothes, BBC News reports.

Speaking to the newspaper La Stampa, Zeffirelli said the Pope communicated in a cold way that was little suited to what was happening around him.

Pope Benedict XVI has revived some traditional papal clothing such as a red velvet cape trimmed with ermine, which was last worn in public by Pope John XXIII.

Some mistook for a Santa Claus cap Pope Benedict’s fur-trimmed red cap, called a camauro.

Zeffirelli was confident that he would make an excellent image consultant.

"If they gave me an official supervisory role, I would dedicate myself to it full time," Zeffirelli said.

"I know [Joseph] Ratzinger personally," he added, using the German-born Pope's name before he was elected to the papacy.

"He is very attentive to the importance of how the sacred is represented," Zeffirelli concluded.