Dear Friends Archbishop Sipuka receives the pallium On the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul (29 June) all the new Archbishops from around the world gathered in Rome to receive their palliums from Pope Leo XIV among them was Archbishop Sithembele Sipuka, Archbishop of Cape Town. The Pallium (from Latin for covering) is a liturgical vestment, symbolizing the fullness of the Episcopal office. It is worn not only by the Pope, but also by metropolitan archbishops and patriarchs. The Pallium is also symbolic of personal loyalty to the Pope and thereby a sign of unity between a local Church and the universal Church. The Pallium is a white, woollen, circular, two-inch band worn loosely around the neck, breast, and shoulders. It is ornamented with six black silken crosses and has a weighted pendant front and back, extending nearly to the waist. The Metropolitan Archbishop receives a pallium from the Pope as a symbol of his metropolitan jurisdiction. The Pallium is woven from the wool of two lambs, representing Christ, the Lamb of God and the Good Shepherd. The wool originates from lambs raised by the Convent of St. Agnes in Rome and chosen and blessed by the Pope each year on the feast day of St. Agnes (January 21). On the eve of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the Pallia are laid upon the tomb of St. Peter in St. Peter’s Basilica, to rest above his body for the night before they are given to the new Archbishops. (Adapted rcsj.org)