CT News
Jan. 21, 2026 : On Wednesday, January 21, in the Vatican’s Urban VIII Chapel, Pope Leo XIV was presented with two lambs on the occasion of the Memorial of St. Agnes of Rome.
Following an ancient tradition, the animals were later blessed in the Basilica of St. Agnes Outside the Walls in northern Rome, where the young 4th-century martyr is buried.
As is customary, the wool from these lambs will be used to make the Pallia for the new Metropolitan Archbishops.
The Pallium is a liturgical insignia of honor and jurisdiction worn by the Pope and Metropolitan Archbishops in their churches and in those of their ecclesiastical provinces. It consists of a narrow band of white woolen cloth decorated with six black silk crosses.
The rite of blessing and imposition of the pallia is performed by the Pope on June 29, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.
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