By David Cooley

When in Rome

On Sunday, June 29, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Archbishop Robert G. Casey will be in Rome to receive the pallium from Pope Leo XIV, continuing an ancient custom symbolizing an archbishop’s pastoral service to his people and his unity with the Petrine office.

Archbishop Casey will be one of eight new American archbishops, along with several dozen newly installed archbishops from around the world, who will be imposed with the pallium by the Holy Father.

What’s a Pallium?

When an archbishop is appointed to a new archdiocese, he requests a pallium from the Holy See. The pallium is a scarf, or stole-like vestment that is worn over the chasuble when the archbishop celebrates Mass. It is about two inches wide, and it rests on the shoulders, with pendants or lappets that hang about 12 inches in the front and the back.

When viewed from the front or the back, the pallium resembles the letter “Y.” It is white, with six black crosses. Three of those crosses, the ones on the front, back and left shoulder, are ornamented with a gold pin, symbolizing the three nails of Christ’s crucifixion.

Historically, two lambs have been blessed on Jan. 21, the feast of St. Agnes, and sheared as Easter approaches, with their wool used to sew the pallia. The care of the lambs is entrusted to a group of Benedictine nuns.

Today, because so many metropolitan archbishops are installed every year, the wool from the two lambs is incorporated with wool from elsewhere to make each pallium.

In addition, each of the pendants that hang in front and back are tipped with black satin, resembling the hoof of a lamb; thus, the imagery being that of the archbishop, the chief shepherd of the diocese, carrying a lamb on his shoulders, in imitation of Christ the Good Shepherd.

Originally, the pallium was worn only by the pope. The pope now gives it to metropolitan archbishops as a sign of their unity with him.

What’s a Metropolitan Archbishop?

Every diocese is part of a collection of dioceses called a province. In the United States, the provinces most often, but not always, are designated by state lines. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Cincinnati, which encompasses the entire state of Ohio. The province includes the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and its five suffragan dioceses: Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown, and Steubenville. Each province has an archdiocese, which is called the Metropolitan See.

Thus, the archbishop of that diocese is the metropolitan archbishop, and he presides over, although has no jurisdiction over, the dioceses of that province.

Where to Watch

This year, Pope Leo will return to the tradition of imposing the pallium himself. In 2015, Pope Francis had changed the custom, inviting new archbishops to concelebrate Mass and to receive the blessed pallium from him before returning home to be imposed with the pallium in their home dioceses.

Vatican Media will livestream the pallium Mass with Pope Leo XIV from St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, June 29, at 9:30 a.m. Rome time (3:30 a.m. in Cincinnati). EWTN will re-broadcast the Mass at noon. You can find the Vatican Livestream here: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/events/event.dir.html/content/vaticanevents/en/2025/6/29/pietro-e-paolo.html