On the 29th of June 2017 at Piazza San Pietro of the Vatican City, during a celebration of the Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, patron saints of Rome, Mgr. Jean-Pierre Cottanceau sscc, the Archbishop of Papeete, together with 34 other newly appointed Archbishops received the palliums that were blessed by Pope Francis. Jean-Pierre received his Episcopal consecration on 18 February 2017.
In this historical moment of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis implemented the decision made public in January 2017 that the public ceremony of investiture of the Pallium on Metropolitan Archbishops would take place in the prelates’ home dioceses and not in the Vatican. It will be the Pope’s representative, the Apostolic Nuncio, who does the formal installation (investiture) of the pallium on the Metropolitan Archbishop at a later date.
The Pope believes that in this way the ceremony "will greatly favor the participation of the local Church in an important moment of its life and history.” Furthermore, this new custom can serve to advance “that journey of synodality in the Catholic Church which, from the beginning of his pontificate, he has constantly emphasized as particularly urgent and precious at this time in the history of the Church,” the Pope believes.
The “pallium” of the metropolitan archbishop, in its present form, is a straight sash of material of almost five centimeters, made of white lamb's wool. It was Pope Benedict XVI who explained "the symbolism of the pallium" in a very concrete way in his homily when he inaugurated his Petrine ministry on 24 April 2005. He said, “the lamb’s wool is meant to represent the lost, the sick or weak sheep which the shepherd places on his shoulders to carry to the waters of life.”
Also attending the important ceremony at Piazza San Pietro were Fr. Bernard Couronne sscc, Fr. Remi Liando sscc, and Sr. María Milagros Arbaizar sscc, as well as his brother, his sister in law, and some friends.
06/29/2017