Sir, – Regarding Soline Humbert’s article (“Projecting the Catholic Church as an all-male community is wrong”, Opinion, April 17th). I chose the Pentecost icon to represent the fourth stage of preparation for the Eucharistic Congress 2012. This icon is based on a prototype from Stavronikita Monastery, Mount Athos.
Icons should not be viewed as mere religious painting representing historical events. We, in the West, have often dismissed the iconographic tradition of the East by comparing it to the naturalism of the Renaissance.
Icons must be read and interpreted in a different manner. We know that there were many more than 12 men present at Pentecost. Yet, this icon has only 12 persons represented and some of these, St Paul, for example, were not even followers of Christ, at that time. The Gospel writers, Mark and Luke are included and other apostles, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus and, Judas Iscariot’s replacement, Matthias, are left out. The icon is not representing a definite moment in time, but the continuous and never-ending presence of the Holy Spirit in the church.
The Mother of God is absent in icons of the Pentecost up to the 17th century as Christians believe she had already received the Holy Spirit when she conceived Jesus. This icon shows 12 disciples seated on a horseshoe-shaped bench with a back and footrest and this iconographic format evolved after the Iconoclast period. The same format was used up to and after the 16th century. The model used for the Eucharistic Congress icon is from the 16th century.
I am very grateful that the congress committee allowed the iconographers the freedom to work with models and techniques that they felt most comfortable with. – Yours, etc,