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Carlo Angerer / NBC News
Adriano Stefanelli, 64, has been making shoes in the shop founded by his father since he was 14.
By Carlo Angerer, Producer, NBC News
NOVARA, Italy -- When the white smoke will mark the election of a new pope later this month, Adriano Stefanelli will stand at the ready with nails, leather and his hammer by his side.
Stefanelli, 64, is the pope’s shoemaker, commissioned by the Vatican, and he said he will work day and night to manufacture the next pope’s new custom-made shoes as quickly as possible.
“All I need to know is the shoe size and what color the new pope wants,” he said during an interview with NBC News in his small corner store in Novara, in northern Italy. “I hope to finish the shoes in about 10 days.”
Normally the process takes about a month, with Stefanelli working on the special shoes during his free time. He makes a living by selling his line of shoes exclusively in his small shop, which his father founded in 1954 and where Stefanelli has been working since he was 14. The handmade shoes are only gifted to a small circle of special people picked by Stefanelli himself, a group that has included U.S. presidents.
Carlo Angerer / NBC News
Stefanelli created the flashy red shoes Pope Benedict XVI wore during most public audiences in the Vatican and on foreign trips. That garnered Benedict the title “Accessorizer of the Year” by Esquire Magazine in 2007.
Rumors abounded that the pope wore Prada. When the Italian fashion behemoth didn’t deny the rumors, the Vatican publicly announced that Stefanelli was the creator of the red shoes.
Stefanelli proudly showed us a letter from Benedict’s secretary, Georg Gänswein, requesting a new pair of shoes for the pope. Stefanelli doesn't charge the Vatican for the papal shoes; he calls the shoes a "regalo," Italian for gift, and said, “I’m not doing this for business purposes; I want to show the quality of Italian craftsmanship.”
And others have been impressed, as well. When President George W. Bush saw the pope’s red shoes during his U.S. visit in 2008, he immediately requested a pair in black. Stefanelli also sent shoes to the Obamas, receiving a thank you letter from the White House.
Carlo Angerer / NBC News
Stefanelli's decision to deliver shoes to the pope was prompted by Pope John Paul II’s illness.
“I began to think, 'What can I do to ease his pain?'” he said. “And the answer was that I can make shoes, so let’s make shoes. I started and made the first pair, they fit the pope well, and I continued until now.”
Stefanelli said he’s looking forward to making the next pope’s shoes, not only to show his craftsmanship, but also because it is a spiritual matter for this Catholic shoemaker.
“When you are working for the Holy Father, you try and do your best,” he said. “Spirituality is there because you are working for someone not only important but also charismatic and that has strength for the faithful – that has deep meaning.”
As cardinals gather at the Vatican to make their selection, behind the scenes skilled artisans hidden away in the side streets of Rome are already hard at work for the next pope. NBC's Keir Simmons reports.
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Those shoes are too big for anybody else to fill.
Hello folks,
When it comes to bull@!$%#, big-time, major league bull@!$%#, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bull@!$%# story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!
But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bull@!$%# story. Holy @!$%#!
But I want you to know something, this is sincere, I want you to know, when it comes to believing in God, I really tried. I really, really tried. I tried to believe that there is a God, who created each of us in His own image and likeness, loves us very much, and keeps a close eye on things. I really tried to believe that, but I gotta tell you, the longer you live, the more you look around, the more you realize, something is @!$%#ed up.
Something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed. Results like these do not belong on the résumé of a Supreme Being. This is the kind of @!$%# you'd expect from an office temp with a bad attitude. And just between you and me, in any decently-run universe, this guy would've been out on his all-powerful ass a long time ago. And by the way, I say "this guy", because I firmly believe, looking at these results, that if there is a God, it has to be a man.
No woman could or would ever @!$%# things up like this. So, if there is a God, I think most reasonable people might agree that he's at least incompetent, and maybe, just maybe, doesn't give a @!$%#. Doesn't give a @!$%#, which I admire in a person, and which would explain a lot of these bad results.
So rather than be just another mindless religious robot, mindlessly and aimlessly and blindly believing that all of this is in the hands of some spooky incompetent father figure who doesn't give a @!$%#, I decided to look around for something else to worship. Something I could really count on.
And immediately, I thought of the sun. Happened like that. Overnight I became a sun-worshipper. Well, not overnight, you can't see the sun at night. But first thing the next morning, I became a sun-worshipper. Several reasons. First of all, I can see the sun, okay? Unlike some other gods I could mention, I can actually see the sun. I'm big on that. If I can see something, I don't know, it kind of helps the credibility along, you know? So everyday I can see the sun, as it gives me everything I need; heat, light, food, flowers in the park, reflections on the lake, an occasional skin cancer, but hey. At least there are no crucifixions, and we're not setting people on fire simply because they don't agree with us.
Sun worship is fairly simple. There's no mystery, no miracles, no pageantry, no one asks for money, there are no songs to learn, and we don't have a special building where we all gather once a week to compare clothing. And the best thing about the sun, it never tells me I'm unworthy. Doesn't tell me I'm a bad person who needs to be saved. Hasn't said an unkind word. Treats me fine. So, I worship the sun. But, I don't pray to the sun. Know why? I wouldn't presume on our friendship. It's not polite.
I've often thought people treat God rather rudely, don't you? Asking trillions and trillions of prayers every day. Asking and pleading and begging for favors. Do this, gimme that, I need a new car, I want a better job. And most of this praying takes place on Sunday His day off. It's not nice. And it's no way to treat a friend.
But people do pray, and they pray for a lot of different things, you know, your sister needs an operation on her crotch, your brother was arrested for defecating in a mall. But most of all, you'd really like to @!$%# that hot little redhead down at the convenience store. You know, the one with the eyepatch and the clubfoot? Can you pray for that? I think you'd have to. And I say, fine. Pray for anything you want. Pray for anything, but what about the Divine Plan?
Remember that? The Divine Plan. Long time ago, God made a Divine Plan. Gave it a lot of thought, decided it was a good plan, put it into practice. And for billions and billions of years, the Divine Plan has been doing just fine. Now, you come along, and pray for something. Well suppose the thing you want isn't in God's Divine Plan? What do you want Him to do? Change His plan? Just for you? Doesn't it seem a little arrogant? It's a Divine Plan. What's the use of being God if every run-down shmuck with a two-dollar prayerbook can come along and @!$%# up Your Plan?
And here's something else, another problem you might have: Suppose your prayers aren't answered. What do you say? "Well, it's God's will." "Thy Will Be Done." Fine, but if it's God's will, and He's going to do what He wants to anyway, why the @!$%# bother praying in the first place? Seems like a big waste of time to me! Couldn't you just skip the praying part and go right to His Will? It's all very confusing.
So to get around a lot of this, I decided to worship the sun. But, as I said, I don't pray to the sun. You know who I pray to? Joe Pesci. Two reasons: First of all, I think he's a good actor, okay? To me, that counts. Second, he looks like a guy who can get things done. Joe Pesci doesn't @!$%# around. In fact, Joe Pesci came through on a couple of things that God was having trouble with.
For years I asked God to do something about my noisy neighbor with the barking dog, Joe Pesci straightened that @!$%# out with one visit. It's amazing what you can accomplish with a simple baseball bat.
So I've been praying to Joe for about a year now. And I noticed something. I noticed that all the prayers I used to offer to God, and all the prayers I now offer to Joe Pesci, are being answered at about the same 50% rate. Half the time I get what I want, half the time I don't. Same as God, 50-50. Same as the four-leaf clover and the horseshoe, the wishing well and the rabbit's foot, same as the Mojo Man, same as the Voodoo Lady who tells you your fortune by squeezing the goat's testicles, it's all the same: 50-50. So just pick your superstition, sit back, make a wish, and enjoy yourself.
And for those of you who look to The Bible for moral lessons and literary qualities, I might suggest a couple of other stories for you. You might want to look at the Three Little Pigs, that's a good one. Has a nice happy ending, I'm sure you'll like that. Then there's Little Red Riding Hood, although it does have that X-rated part where the Big Bad Wolf actually eats the grandmother. Which I didn't care for, by the way. And finally, I've always drawn a great deal of moral comfort from Humpty Dumpty. The part I like the best? "All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again." That's because there is no Humpty Dumpty, and there is no God. None, not one, no God, never was.
In fact, I'm gonna put it this way. If there is a God, may he strike this audience dead! See? Nothing happened. Nothing happened? Everybody's okay? All right, tell you what, I'll raise the stakes a little bit. If there is a God, may he strike me dead. See? Nothing happened, oh, wait, I've got a little cramp in my leg. And my balls hurt. Plus, I'm blind. I'm blind, oh, now I'm okay again, must have been Joe Pesci, huh? God Bless Joe Pesci. Thank you all very much. Joe Bless You!
Compliments of Mr. George Carlin. RIP
TrustVerify
Thats an excellent one!
It can also be seen on Youtube.
I love how George carlin became so political in his later years.
Much of the humor value is the relief of hearing the truth finall stated.
That is a pretty specific, esoteric job.
I would lie to sit in on the job interviews for that positions.
Is it facilitated by the Keebler Elves?
George Carlin was "struck down."
@TrustVerify: So you are a sun worshiper, so what, so was Isaiah. Isaiah 30:26
when the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the
Lord bindeth of the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound."
Then if we keep this vision alive, it will manifest results at the time assigned for
its fulfillment. No offense, but your knowledge is at the 8th Grade level. BTW,
I hope Cardinal Dolan is selected as the Pope. He is a breath of fresh air.
Foot Fetish..?
I hope these are not a pair of squeaky shoes!
Do the heels have special compartments for rufies?
Get him some Skechers!
Of course Shrub wanted the same shoes!
Since some want to make everything political.
Michelle also got a pair. Of course, Stefanelli had use a whole cowhide to make hers.
Well, the 1% are the only ones that can afford them.
Witch craft ! May he hobble and cobble for the rest of his life. Who in hell wants to meet the pervert with a papal foot fetish ?
hello-i am age 76-life becomes a hell of a lot more serious@my age-it is amazing that the pilgrims[john wayne]remain nearly 100% failthfull unconditionally-too bad vatican issued restritions to chavez-because he messed up his country substancially-russian jets/russian weaponry/he catered to narcos as well-he should heve been reamed by vatican.........we need to reverse the ugliness of earth activities.no spell check
Drugs?
Every poster that posted before me (including you, Pigotry) have no love for the true beauty of the art that this shoemaker does. Whereas many shoe companies make their footwear by machine, he makes each of his by hand. And it is not for money - he does it because he wants to show his talents and craftsmanship to people all across the world.
He doesn't do it for greed, or for fame (which explains why he only gets this particular spotlight now as opposed to the big shoe corporations); he does it because to him, he appreciates the work he does and views it as art.
I wish I could say any of you trashy bigots could say the same with any hobby or occupation that you do - and have the vigor and proof to back up your words. The @!$%# that comes out of my countrymen sometimes.... un-@!$%#ing-believable.
All of you make me ashamed to be an American!
Part of the problem is that it's a sick society when the person who makes the Pope's shoes is front-page news. That's the cult-of-personality on a scale almost unfathomable. The Pope's SHOEMAKER, for chrissakes.
If this guy made your shoes, would he be front page news? No. The only reason he's on the front page is because he makes shoes for some creepy famous person that the world is obsessed with knowing every stupid detail about. It might as well be the guy who makes his underwear, or who cleans his toilet. It's not about the shoemaker, it's about people's obsession with someone famous.
I agree, Crimson. I clicked on article assuming I was going to read that the Vatican pays an astronomical price for the Pope's shoes - as if a pricey custom-made wardrobe is one of the benefits of being Pope. Instead, it's story of a man who is devoted to his craft and is deeply religious, and chooses to do this out of the goodness of his heart. Good for him.
Cujo,
I like your passion. Yes, I too understand the art of shoemaking.
I can't wait until the day I can have my feet measured, pick out a piece of beautiful material, and hopefully, watch the shoemaker create a pair just for me. I can't wait to see what it feels like to slip into a pair made just for me. Ahhhh. . .must be a slice of heaven!
Wonder why Herr Ratzinger requested red? White would match most of his regalia and be less conspicuos. Black...too austere, Brown...never wear after 5 PM...Yellow...too loud....Red too Dorothyesque. Wonder how Bush the lesser found out about the popes shoes? Wouldn't it be a bit rude to ask "Hey...where did you get those shoes" and "can I get a pair"?
I am going to see Bob Seger in about a week. All the love i need. Rock and roll 4ever.
SHOEMAKER.. isn't that a JEWISH name.. OMG@!
Shoes, I got. But who makes the Pope's soap on a rope? I saw it in Portland, Oregon thirty years ago... It was called "Pope on a Rope."
Just to set the record right about the color of Dorothy's shoes:
Thanks for clearing that up, next time I go to a Cher concert I'll know what to wear.
Wouldn't it be great if the next Pope did away with all the pomp of his office,and actually followed the simplicity of Jesus !
He would need sandals then.
Don't hold your breath. Gave up Jesus a long time ago infavor of power, ego and money.
Spiritual craftsmanship:
Spiritual nothing!!!! He is a shoe maker, period.
Yes, an excellent one, perhaps, but just a shoemaker.
Sticking fine leather together with nails and contact cement certainly
doesen't qualify one as having a higher spiritual standing.
Just a fine craftsman.
Justa in casea youa wanta head starta I ama size 10a, extra widea. I likea mya shoesa blacka or maybea likea Elviso I may trya bluea whena I wanta to celebratea.
I suppose tommorrow we will be introduced to peter the dress maker, who hand taylors the popes robe.
The Pope Loafers would be a good band name.
Shame on Prada for living in the lie . . . even if they didn't start it they should have been big enough and put the $$$ away and spoke to the craftsmanship of Mr. Stephanelli.
Flip flops. The Pope would look good in flip flops. Or maybe just barefoot.
Kudos to Mr. Stefanelli! My mother said there is honor in all work. She told me that in every assignment, "Work like you're working for the Lord." I might not always hit the mark but this is my goal.
Mr. Stefanelli is part of an honorable group of people who actually care about their work. They understand the importance and power of what they do. They realize that their work affects others so they give their best. I admire a solid work ethic, my mother, and now, Mr. Stefanelli.
So "Il Papa Nouva" will not be wearing the ruby slippers?
Color? I thought the Pope's shoes were always red?
Since all of these lying bastard pope's live such opulent lives, wear dresses plastered with gemstones, and very expensive hand made EVERYTHING, all the while talking a lot of smack about their concern for the poor....the new pope should wear a pair of shoes from a thrift store and try existing on the poor diet that the poor exist with.
LTC Rattus, USA, ret.