In the west, purple or violet is
the color most associated with piety and faith. In the year 1464, shortly after
the fall of Constantinople, which stopped the supply of Tyrian purple to
Europe, Pope Paul II changed the color worn by Cardinals from purple to red,
dyed with expensive cochineal. The next higher rank, Bishops, were given the
purple color, made then from a less-expensive mixture of indigo and cochineal. In
the Roman Catholic liturgy, purple symbolizes penitence; priests wear a purple
garment when they hear confession. Purple is also worn by priests during Lent
and Easter. Since the Vatican II Council (1962–65), priests wear purple rather
than black when officiating at funerals- it was decided that black, as the
color of mourning, should not be a formal part of a religious service ■