Pope marks feast of St. Agnes with blessing of his flock

Pope Benedict XVI kept the ancient tradition of blessing a number of lambs on the feast of St. Agnes, an early martyr commemorated on January 21 by the Catholic Church. The blessing took place at the Urban VIII Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

The wool of the lambs is used to make the palliums bestowed on new metropolitan archbishops on June 29, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles. The pallium is a white band of wool worn on the shoulders of the pope over his vestments during certain liturgical celebrations. It symbolizes a lamb and therefore the office of the pope as pastor of the worldwide church. The pallium is bestowed as a special honor on certain prelates of the Church.

The lambs are raised by the Trappist monks at the Abbey of the Three Fountains in Rome and the palliums are made from the newly-shorn wool by the sisters of St. Cecilia.