By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
On the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez and 53 newly appointed metropolitan archbishops from around the world received the pallium. The pallium is a liturgical vestment worn to symbolize their authority and unity with the pope. Pope Leo XIV blessed and imposed the palliums upon the new archbishops during the Solemn Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on June 29, 2025.
“The significance of receiving the pallium, to me, is important because it shows my communion and unity with the Holy Father as a sign of loyalty and fidelity to him as the successor of Peter.” Archbishop Vásquez said.
The 3-inch-wide woolen band has 14-inch strips adorned with six black crosses that hang down the front and the back. These strips are tipped with black silk to represent dark hooves of the sheep that the archbishop symbolically carries over his shoulders. The word “pallium” is Latin for mantle or cloak. The archbishop wears the vestment when he celebrates Mass in his province.
“As a bishop, I also have the responsibility to serve the people of God, even to the point of suffering for them, for their good, because Christ suffered for us.” Archbishop Vásquez said. “My responsibility is to care for the flock, entrusted to my care.”
The newly appointed metropolitan archbishops represented more than two dozen countries, including: Australia, Haiti, France, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Philippines, Brazil, Kenya, Vietnam, Rwanda, India, Indonesia, Canada, Tanzania, Ghana, Peru, Mexico, the United States, Guam, Ecuador, Myanmar, South Africa, Spain, Italy and England.
The eight archbishops from the United States were: Robert Cardinal McElroy of Washington; Archbishop W. Shawn McKnight of Kansas City, Kansas; Archbishop Michael G. McGovern of Omaha, Nebraska; Archbishop Robert G. Casey of Cincinnati; Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez of Galveston-Houston; Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee; Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston; and Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Detroit.
