History of the pallium given
to Metropolitan Archbishops
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| The Pallia rest near the tomb of St.Peter in 2018 (Vatican Media) |
As Pope Francis blesses the pallia on the feast of Sts.
Peter and Paul, we explore the history and tradition behind this ancient symbol
that links Archbishops around the world to Rome and the Successor of Peter.
By Vatican News
The pallium, made of lamb’s wool, is a white
band measuring about 5 cm in width. Two equally wide bands, about 30 cm long
containing small silk-covered lead pieces, extend one in front and one on the
back.
It is worn over the chasuble and is the insignia of the
office of a metropolitan archbishop, that is, of an archbishop who is the
bishop of a metropolitan archdiocese.
Six black crosses adorn the pallium and are
placed in the front and back, on each shoulder, and on the ends of the pieces
hanging in front and back. The crosses on the front, on the back, and on the
left shoulder also bear a pin, called a spinula (a Latin word
meaning a small spine, or thorn). These crosses are often set with precious
stones.
History
Pallium is a Latin word that means a mantle or
cloak.
The exact origin of the use of the pallium within
the Latin Church is unknown. Some think that it originated in a Roman context,
others in a Greek context.
Tertullian associated the pallium (a simple
Roman cloak) with Christ, and advocated its use by Christians. St. Justin,
martyred in 165 AD, is said to have been wearing a pallium when
he died. Justin’s use of the pallium would have coincided with
its use by Roman philosophers.
As the use of the pallium declined in
society, it was adopted more and more in the Latin Church as of the 6th century.
Pope St. Gregory the Great granted the pallium to bishops he
wanted to honor in some way. By the 9th century, all
metropolitans could wear the pallium in their ecclesiastic
territory and were mandated to request it from the Holy See.
Blessing and weaving
Currently, every year, on the feast of St Agnes, two lambs
are brought from Tre Fontane, the site of St Paul’s martyrdom, to the Basilica
of St Agnes on the Via Nomentana.
After they are blessed, they are taken and presented to the
Pope, then they remain in the care of the Sisters who reside at the Basilica of
St Cecilia in Trastevere.
Just before Easter, these lambs are shorn and their wool is
used to make the pallia for newly-appointed Archbishops.
Once entirely handmade, by the Sisters, the sheer number of
archbishops in need of a palliaeach year has made it impossible to
continue with that practice. Instead, the Sisters now select a company to manufacture
them. Each pallium contains a portion of the wool shorn from
the two lambs.
This year, 31 Archbishops appointed in the last year receive
the pallium. They represented archdiocese in Australia, Haiti,
France, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Philippines, Brazil,
Kenya, Vietnam, Rwanda, India, Indonesia, Canada, Tanzania, Ghana, Peru,
Mexico, the United States, Guam, Ecuador, Myanmar, South Africa, Spain, Italy
and England.
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