Why is the pope's cassock white when other clergy usually wear black?
The short answer
The custom goes back to Pope St. Pius V, a Dominican who kept wearing his white Dominican habit as pope. His successors continued it, and white is now the pope's traditional color.
Pius V's habit
Pope St. Pius V was a Dominican, and after his election he continued wearing the white Dominican habit.
A lasting custom
Later popes kept the practice, and white is now the traditional color of the pope's clothing.
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