Holy Father imposes Pallium on Metropolitan Archbishops

June 29, 2012: At the beginning of the Eucharistic Celebration of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul Apostles, the Holy Father Benedict XVI imposed the Pallium on 43 metropolitan Archbishops received the Pallium from the Holy Father. Among them are , Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati and Archbishop Thomas D’souza of Kolkata from India and Archbishop Patrick D’rozario from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, Pakistan however will receive it in his metropolitan home.

The pallium is a band of wool woven by hand which rests on the shoulders and then fall in front of the chest and behind the shoulders. The wool stands for the sheep that was lost, and the pins and the crosses signify that the Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep.

Addressing the archbishops in his Homily at the Eucharistic celebration the Holy Father said “ Dear Metropolitan Archbishops, the Pallium that I have conferred on you will always remind you that you have been constituted in and for the great mystery of communion that is the Church, the spiritual edifice built upon Christ as the cornerstone, while in its earthly and historical dimension, it is built on the rock of Peter. Inspired by this conviction, we know that together we are all cooperators of the truth, which as we know is one and “symphonic”, and requires from each of us and from our communities a constant commitment to conversion to the one Lord in the grace of the one Spirit.

There was however a change in the ritual by the ceremony being held before the Eucharist in order to shorten the length of the Rite, to avoid interruption in the eucharistic celebration and to make it clear that the imposition of the pallium, while an honoured tradition, is not a sacramental rite. .