Ecclesiastical ring the new pope. The pope's ring is not to be confused with the papal seal, which is what the pope uses to seal documents. The Fisherman's Ring is no longer used to seal anything. Except Pope Benedict XVI, who chose to wear his at all times, the ring had not been seen being publicly worn by a pope since the papacy of Pope Pius XII, who refrained from wearing it once his election ceremonies had been concluded. A collection of rings belonging to the popes of the past is exhibited in a glass case in a room within the papal
L. A. Ring "Nu skrider Dagen under, og Natten vælder ud", which represent the culmination of Ring's preoccupation with death as a motif in painting. In Ring's art the road and the path are recurring themes, and other lines such as creeks, rivers and estuaries, the open sea and modern elements e.g. bridges, railway tracks and telephone cables are used as main motifs. The roads lead the eye into the paintings and out again, as a symbol of the human existence. Ring often uses doors and windows as thresholds. In some of the threshold paintings the person depicted is in a hesitant position