Pope Leo XIV sends a message to the French Catholic Media Federation for the 29th edition of the Days of St. Francis de Sales, taking place in Lourdes on January 21-23.

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Speaking to journalists, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin touches on the tensions between the United States and Europe, saying it is essential “to discuss the controversial issues, but without engaging in polemics and without creating further tensions.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV blessed two lambs in the Urban VIII Chapel at the Vatican Jan. 21, the feast of St. Agnes, a Roman martyr who is often depicted with a lamb. Agnes also is a derivative of the Latin word for lamb, "agnus."

The lambs are raised by Trappist monks outside Rome, and they are bound and placed in baskets to prevent them from running away during the blessing. They are decorated with red and white flowers and blessed in a formal ceremony at the Basilica of St. Agnes and by the pope at the Vatican. 

Benedictine nuns at the Monastery of St. Cecilia in Rome will use wool from the lambs to make the pallium worn by archbishops; the pallium is a symbol of the archbishop's authority and unity with the papacy.

In fact, the woolen bands, which are worn around the neck, have long strips hanging down the front and the back, and are tipped with black silk to recall the dark hoof of the sheep the archbishop is symbolically carrying over his shoulders. Lamb's wool is also used to symbolize Christ, the Lamb of God and the Good Shepherd.

The woolen palliums are kept by St. Peter's tomb right before the pope blesses and distributes them to new archbishops during a special liturgy in Rome on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. 

By personally placing the palliums on the archbishops, the pope underlines their bond of unity and communion with the successor of Peter.

Members of the cloistered Benedictine community at Rome's Basilica of St. Cecilia have been entrusted for more than a century with preparing the palliums.

The nuns once produced the palliums from scratch, hand-weaving pure-white lambs' wool into bands that they would then sew together and decorate. But then, the nuns started commissioning a textile company outside of Rome to supply the unfinished wool strips.

The June 29 Vatican Mass is the only time archbishops wear the palliums together. Once bestowed, liturgical rules require that the pallium be worn only in the metropolitan's own see, and then only during important liturgical occasions like ordinations. 

Because of the cloth's territorial character, an archbishop who is transferred to another metropolitan see receives a second pallium.

Under current church practice, if a newly named archbishop cannot travel to the Vatican to receive his pallium from the pope, it is given to him by a papal representative in his country.
 

The Archdiocese of Seoul formally launches a nationwide pilgrimage of the World Youth Day (WYD) Symbols, with the blessing of 15 logo sculptures at Myeongdong Cathedral.

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As the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine worsens, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, launches a forceful appeal to support fundraising efforts by the Basilica of Saint Sophia in Rome, gathering blankets, thermal clothing, and supplies.

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St. Agnes of Rome was born in 291 AD and raised in a Christian family. Agnes was very beautiful and belonged to a wealthy family. Her hand in marriage was highly sought after, and she had many high ranking men chasing after her. However, Agnes made a promise to God never to stain her purity. Her love for the Lord was great and she hated sin even more than death! Whenever a man wished to marry Agnes, she would always say, "Jesus Christ is my only Spouse." According to legend, the young men ...

Two lambs were presented to Pope Leo XIV on the liturgical feast of St. Agnes, in keeping with an ancient tradition of the Roman Church.

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A statue of St. Carlo Acutis has been inaugurated in Myanmar, and a diocesan priest describes it as offering an example to young people on how to live their faith, “even in times of trial, especially during this difficult time the nation is experiencing.”

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Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to pray for Christian unity and for peace, especially in our time marked by a lack of respect for human dignity and heightened international tensions.

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During his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV reminds the faithful that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, as he continues his catechesis on the Dogmatic Constitution 'Dei Verbum' on Divine Revelation.

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