Former Salt Lake City bishop receives pallium

Intermountain Catholic

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Pope Benedict XVI talks to Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome after placing a pallium on his shoulders June 29. In a special Mass held on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the pope gave pallia to 27 archbishops gathered from around the globe, reminding them that ?the task of Peter consists precisely in not allowing the faith to ever become mute, to strengthen it anew forever, before the cross and all the contradictions of the world.? The pallia are woven from the wool of young lambs shorn specifically for that purpose. See story page 10.IC photo by Christopher Gray

VATICAN CITY — Urging new archbishops to never allow the faith to become mute, Pope Benedict XVI in his homily reminded the pilgrims gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29 about the role of Peter in unifying the voice of the Church.

"The task of Peter consists precisely in not allowing the faith to ever become mute, to strengthen it anew forever, before the cross and all the contradictions of the world, until the Lord’s return. For that, the Lord prayed not only for Peter’s personal faith, but also for his faith as a service and safeguard for others.

"We want to always implore again this saving glance of Jesus: for all who fulfill a duty in the church, for all who suffer the confusions of this time, for the great and for the small: Lord, look at us always anew and raise us from all our falls and take us up in your loving hands," the pope said.

Following his homily, the pope placed pallia on the shoulders of archbishops ordained or installed in the last year. Among the 27 archbishops receiving the pallium this year, archbishops Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, George H. Niederauer of San Francisco and Donald W. Wuerl of Washington traveled from their sees in the United States to receive the special wool band from the pope.

On the evening of June 28, the pope placed the pallia to be given to archbishops in an alcove below the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, which lies directly above the tomb of St. Peter. Pallia are considered to be contact relics blessed by the apostle Jesus commanded to "feed his sheep" and "feed his lambs," offering a share in his authority. Reception of the pallium is a symbol of a bond to the See of Peter and of participation in the pope’s role as vicar of Christ, the Good Shepherd.

Though the design of the pallium has been changed throughout the ages and most recently by Pope Benedict to reflect the earliest pallia, the pallia conferred on archbishops this year remained the collar-like bands of wool worn by popes and metropolitans since the middle ages.

Seated near the altar was Metropolitan John Zizioulas of Pergamon, heading a delegation representing the leader of the world’s Orthodox believers. At the end of the Mass the pope descended with Metropolitan Zizioulas to pray together at St. Peter’s tomb.

Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, formerly of Turkey, sends a delegation to the Vatican each year for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Rome’s patron saints. This year, Pope Benedict is planning to visit Turkey Nov. 28-30 to participate in the Orthodox church’s celebration of the Nov. 30 feast of St. Andrew, patron of the patriarchate.

After the Mass, Archbishop Niederauer said, "We will not evade that cross, we will not evade the confrontations that come, but in Christ we will be able to carry our crosses and be able to keep the promise we made to Peter, the church, and Christ."

In his homily, Pope Benedict said, "Through the Church, Christ is still mocked and beaten; always and again Christ is forced from the world. At all times the small ship of the Church is rocked by the wind of ideologies, which with their water appear to penetrate her and condemn her to floundering.

"However, precisely in the Church the suffering Christ emerges victorious. Regardless of everything, faith is always renewed. … The Lord manifests his strength precisely in the weakness of men, demonstrating that he is the one who builds the church by means of weak men," the pope said.