THE PALLIUM.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1644, 24 August 1887, Page 3

THE PALLIUM.

— ♦ In view of the forthcoming investiture of the Pallium, which is to take place at Wellington on Sunday, the 28th iuat., it may be of interest to onr readerß to learn bomething of the ceremony before hand. The ot-romony m Itself ia very simple. '< here ia fceneral'y a solemn High Mass celebrated by the Biehop appointed to invest the Archbishop or Patriaroh-elect with this symbol of jurisdlction. After theOommanion the pallium is extended on the centre of tho altar At the end of Macs, the officiating Biehop, olothfd m amice, stole and cope and wearing hia nirre, takes his Beat on tho fa'.datool fn front of the altar, There, m tho name of the Hoy See, he reooivas the oath of fidelity from the Archbiahopelect who kneels before him vested m fuil pontificals with the exception of tha mitro and gloves. The oath is similar to that taken by all Bishops at their consecration. At the conclusion of the oath the officiating Bishop presents the book of the Holy Goepel to the Archbishop-e'ect, who pronounces the wordß, •' So help me God, and thete Bs Holy Gospels." The Biehop anr were •' Deo Gratias, ' " ThankH be to God." He then p'aees the pallium on the shoulders of the Elect with tho following praje- : — •' For the honor of Almighty Gad, and the Bleaaed M.-.ry ever Vugin, and the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, of our Lord and Pope Leo XII, of the Holy Roman Church, and furt'ieimore for the h'-nT of the Church committed to t.hee, we deliver unto thse the pallium taken from the body of the Blessed Peter, m which pallium exists the fullness of the Pontifical office, with the title of Aro'i bithop, m order that you may use it within your church on certain days, which are expressed m the privileges granted by the Apostolio See. In the name of tie Father aDd of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.' The prayer ended, the officiating Biahrp, with head uncovered, goes to the Gospel ! side of the alter, and the Archbishop rises from hit knees and ascends to the altar steps where, with the archiep'eoopal cross held before him, he solemnly bleßses the people. With this the ceremony terminates. The pallium itself Is a band or sto'e, about seven feet long, and two or three Inches wide, worn over the Bhouldare. It is made of wide wool and on it are worked six crosses of black silk. In ancient times the croßßes were red. One end of the pallium bangs on the breast and the other between the shoulders Both ends are adorned with a black Bilk fringe which contains small pieces of lead for the purpose of holding the ends m their respective positions. The six crosses are distributed O7er the pallium at regular int3rvala, one at each end, and the remaining four on that part of the pallium which is wound round the uhou'd^rs 3 The palliums are made from the wool of two iambs which are annaaly brought to the Ohuroh of Pt Agnes, without the walls of Rome They are blessed by the Abbot of the Monastery during the singing of the "Agnus Dei" at the H'gh Mbgb on the festival of the Saint (Jan. 21). The lambs are presented by the chapter of the Laterau Basilica, which is, as It were, tho Popa'u Cathedral. As the pallium Ib a symbol of the metropolitan or patriarchal dignity and jurisdiction, a Bishop cannot summon a council, con-, secrate Bishops, ordain o'erloi, or consecrate chrism or churches until he haß received the pallium. For this reason the Cathedral or patriarchal basilica of the lateran provides the material for this symbol of " the fulne2B of tha Episcopal Office/ m order to show that the minor churches derive their dignity and luitre from this Mother Church, jtißt as the Bishops of other churoheß of the world owe their appointment, eleotion and dignity to the Bishop of the Lateran, the Pope. The title given to the Literan is Mater Urbis et Orbis (the Mother Church of the city and of the world), From the wool of these lambs', tho palliums are woven, and • the lambs are served at tho table of the Pope on Faster Sunday, After the first Vespers for the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, the ceremony of t.he blessing of the pallium takss place. They are then placed m a silver casket, which is deposited on the tomb of St. Peter, where they remain until they tire despatched to the new archbishops, or patriarch*. The'pallium Is a personal decoration, and cannot therefore bo transmitted to a successor. It cannot be worn outside of the province or patriarchate. It 1b buried with the wearer, but were he to die out of his province, like the late. Archbishop Vaughan of Sydney, the pallium la folded and plaeod under his head* <