The Fourth Sunday of Easter is characterised by the image of the shepherd. Although they formed part of the lowest ranks of society, even in the Old Testament we already find the association between the shepherd and his care for the flock with God and His love for the chosen people. In these days, which are so important for the Church due to the selection of Peter’s successor, there are two symbols that specifically highlight the Pope’s role as the shepherd chosen by Christ to guide His flock. These are the pallium and the pastoral staff.
In this article, we begin with the pallium. The pallium is a type of stole or scarf made from lamb’s wool, bearing six small black crosses. It is worn over the shoulders and on top of the chasuble. The exact origin of this pontifical vestment is unclear, but it appears to have been in use by the fourth century and seems to share the same roots as the omophorion used in the Eastern Churches. However, due to its particular shape, the pallium took on a pastoral significance as it visibly resembles the traditional iconography of the Good Shepherd carrying the lost sheep on his shoulders, around his neck.
In the East, the omophorion is worn by all bishops and has a slightly different form. In the West, the pallium was originally a papal privilege, but its use was later extended to all archbishops to signify their authority of metropolitan bishops as a participating in the authority and mandate of the successor of Peter, whom Christ commanded to “feed my sheep” (see John 21:15–19). Regarding the omophorion, Saint Isidore of Pelusium in one of his letters (Epistolarum Liber 1.136, PG 78.272C) draws the analogy between the wool material and the lost sheep that the shepherd in the parable from Luke lifts onto his shoulders when he finds it (Luke 15:5).
Each year, on the feast of Saint Agnes, 21 January, at the Basilica of Saint Agnes Outside the Walls, the Trappist monks of the Monastery of the Three Fountains present two lambs that are blessed and entrusted to the Benedictine Sisters of Saint Cecilia in Trastevere. Before Easter, the lambs are shorn so that their wool can be woven into the palliums, which are then placed on the tomb of the Apostle Saint Peter on June 28. The next day, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, they are blessed by the pope and handed to the present archbishops. The imposition of the pallium takes place in the archdiocese by the Apostolic Nuncio.
As we contemplate this image of the Good Shepherd—or, rather, the Beautiful Shepherd—let us pray together with the Church that the shepherd given to her by the Lord may truly please Him in holiness and never cease to care and watch over her good and unity.