Red Tape

Pope Leo X (center) with his cardinal-nephew Giulio de'Medici (left, future Pope Clement VII) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"The origin of the term is somewhat obscure, but it is first noted in historical records in the 16th century, when Henry VIII besieged Pope Clement VII with around eighty or so petitions for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. A photo of the petitions from Cardinal Wolsey and others, now stored in the Vatican archives, can be seen on page 160 of "Saints and Sinners, a history of The Popes", by Eamon Duffy (published by Yale University Press in 1997). The documents can be viewed rolled and stacked in their original condition, each one sealed and bound with the obligatory red tape, as was the custom."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_tape

Three articles from today's Chronicle on the subject:

http://chronicle.com/article/Tangled-in-Red-Tape/150059/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

http://chronicle.com/article/How-a-No-Brainer-Became-One-of/150061/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

http://chronicle.com/article/Tell-Us-About-Red-Tape-on-Your/149689/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en