From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:
June 24, 2026 (#111)
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, and the Pallium
The pallium of Pope St. John XXIII
In the General Roman Calendar, June 29 is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles. An additional feast commemorating St. Peter (i.e., “The Chair of St. Peter”) is observed on February 22, and, likewise, another for St. Paul (i.e., “The Conversion of Saint Paul”), on January 25. But it is only on the first of these feasts that in recent years the Holy Father has chosen to confer an ancient papal symbol, the pallium, on recently instituted “metropolitans,” that is, residential archbishops (e.g., the archbishop of Atlanta).
Made of lamb’s wool and worn on the shoulders of the pope and metropolitans over the chasuble when celebrating the Eucharist, the use of this liturgical vestment dates to the dawn of Christianity. There is a tradition that its use originated with Saint Peter himself. Tertullian wrote an essay about it by the beginning of the 3rd century. Pope Marcus, who died in 336 AD, permitted its use to the bishop of Ostia, who by that time had acquired the right to consecrate the new pope. In the following centuries, other bishops with special mandate of the pope, especially missionary bishops, were permitted to use the pallium. By the 8th century, its use was more commonly granted to metropolitans, as is the custom today.
The pallium represents unity with the pope, pastoral jurisdiction, the “plenitude of pontifical office,” and is meant to be a reminder of Christ the Good Shepherd, who carries the lost sheep on his shoulders. As a sign of his universal jurisdiction, the pope wears the pallium wherever in the world he celebrates the Eucharist. Metropolitan archbishops can only use it in their archdiocese and in the dioceses of their province (that is, the dioceses associated with an archdiocese, e.g., the Diocese of Raleigh in relation to the Archdiocese of Atlanta). The patriarch of Jerusalem, by modern custom, also wears the pallium in his diocese. And since Pope John Paul II, until the present, the deans of the College of Cardinals, although not metropolitans, have also been granted its use.
Pope Leo XIV restored the tradition of personally imposing the pallium on the shoulders of newly named metropolitans during the Mass celebrated on June 29th at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Pope Francis had decided that the pallium would be sent to the archdiocese of a new archbishop where he would receive the pallium in his cathedral. The pallia are blessed on the vigil of the feast of the apostles and kept in a special container located by the tomb of Saint Peter until their distribution by the pope.
Pope Benedict XVI personally utilized two modified pallia during his pontificate. They were modeled on examples of the pallia used by popes in previous centuries and were designed only for the pope’s use. They had had red crosses (instead of black) and were larger than those distributed to the metropolitans. In 2014, Pope Francis returned to the use of the style of pallium used prior to Pope Benedict. Pope Leo has continued this pattern, thus utilizing the same style pallium that he imposes on others.
Last year, eight American archbishops received the pallium from Pope Leo. This year four, including the new Archbishop of Mobile, Alabama, are expected to receive it on June 29, in Rome.
Devotional materials related to Saint Peter can be found at:
https://inhisname.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=st+peter
And for Saint Paul, at:
https://inhisname.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=St+Paul
