Pope addresses Archbishops who received pallium.

(June, 30, 2009): Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday morning received in the Vatican the 34 Archbishops on whom he conferred the pallium on Monday in Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica. Annually, the Pope bestows the pallium on June 29 - the Feast of Sts.Peter and Paul on new archbishops appointed during the year .The 34 prelates from various parts of the world were accompanied by their family members, relatives and friends, and the Pope addressed each group in its particular language.. Warmly welcoming the English-speaking Archbishops, among them Sri Lankan Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, the Pope said the Pallium is received from the hands of the Successor of Peter and worn by the Archbishops, as a sign of communion in faith and love and in the governance of God’s people. It also recalls to pastors their responsibilities as shepherds after the heart of Jesus. At the end of his brief talk the Pope imparted on them his apostolic blessing.
The pallium, a kind of a stole worn around the neck by Archbishop is woven with wool from lambs that the Pope blesses on the feast of St. Agnes.