Pope Benedict XVI's Papal Coat of Arms Presented...

...Characterized by Personal Elements and Novelties

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 29, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Personal elements and novelties characterize Benedict XVI's coat of arms, unveiled in the Vatican's semiofficial newspaper.

Published Thursday in the Italian edition of L'Osservatore Romano, the new coat of arms has three personal elements: a shell, the "Moor of Freising" and "St. Corbinian's bear."

There are also two novelties: the substitution of the miter instead of the tiara, and the addition of the white pallium with black crosses draped below the shield.
...
Benedict XVI decided not to include the tiara that traditionally appeared at the top of each Pope's coat of arms, and replaced it with the pointed miter.

The papal miter, represented in Benedict XVI's shield, is silver and has three gold stripes, symbolizing the Supreme Pontiff's three powers: order, jurisdiction and magisterium.

An absolute novelty in Benedict XVI's shield is the pallium, the woolen stole symbolizing a bishop's authority, and the typical liturgical insignia of the Supreme Pontiff, indicating his responsibility to be the shepherd of Christ's flock.

I suppose this puts to rest the various questions which had been raised. This appears to be final.

Source: Zenit, for April 29