Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle leads four Filipinio archbishops who will receive 4 Filipino archbishops to seal appointments with Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican rites from Pope Benedict XVI the ecclesiastical vestments symbolizing the dioceses assigned to them by the Holy See in solemn ceremonies at the Vatican on Friday, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said on Wednesday, June 27, 2012.
MANILA, Philippines—Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle and three other Filipino archbishops will receive from Pope Benedict XVI the ecclesiastical vestments symbolizing the dioceses assigned to them by the Holy See in solemn ceremonies at the Vatican on Friday, according to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
The Holy Father will place the pallium, a narrow band of woolen cloth made from lambs raised by Trappist monks and worn around the neck, on the new metropolitan archbishops at a concelebrated mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, the CBCP said. The four archbishops were appointed in 2011.
Aside from Tagle, the newly appointed archbishops to be bestowed the pallium are Capiz Archbishop Jose Advincula, Palo Archbishop John Du and Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles.
The four Filipino prelates left for Rome on Monday for the bestowal ceremony, which marks the final stage of an archbishop’s appointment. They would be joined in Rome by some of their priests and relatives, said the CBCP.
The pallium (from the Roman palla, or woolen cloak), also symbolizes the bond and shared responsibility between the recipient and the Pope, and is worn only by the Pope and metropolitans.
By tradition, each year, on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the Pope confers the pallium on newly installed archbishops.
In 2011, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and Tuguegarao Archbishop Sergio Utleg went through the same ceremony at the Vatican.
The 54-year-old Tagle was formally installed as the 32nd archbishop of Manila, the country’s premier see in December 2011. He took over from retired Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales two months after the announcement of his appointment by the Pope.
Du, formerly the bishop of Dumaguete, was formally installed as Palo’s top Catholic prelate in May, taking over from Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.
Advincula, former bishop of San Carlos, was elevated to archbishop of Capiz in November 2011, while Valles was installed as the new archbishop of Davao in May.