By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL
The Archbishop of Kampala Archdiocese Rt. Rev. Paul Ssemogerere is in Vatican Rome to receive his Pallium from the Holy Father Pope Francis I
The Bishop and his delegation earlier this week travelled to Rome in preparation for the celebration of the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul traditionally known as the Pontifical Mass of the Feast of the Pillars of the Catholic church on Wednesday.
During the celebrations, the Pope will bless the pallia and present them to new Metropolitan Archbishops, Ssemogerere among them
On Tuesday, the Archbishop celebrated Mass at the place of his Patron Saint; St. Paul Basilica Rome.
Pope Francis will preside over the Mass of the feast and the function to present pallia to the Archbishops.
The pallia are woollen scarves worn around the neck on top of the Mass vestments of Metropolitan Archbishops. They are a circular band about two inches wide, worn about the neck, breast, and shoulders, and having two pendants, one hanging down in front and one behind. They are decorated with six small black crosses — one each on the breast and back, one on each shoulder, and one on each pendant. The crosses on the breast, back, and left shoulder are provided with a loop for the reception of a gold pin set with a precious stone as a reminder of the crucifixion of Jesus.
In the Catholic Church, the pallium is reserved to the Pope and Metropolitan Archbishops.
Worn by the Pope, the pallium symbolises the plenitude of pontifical office; worn by Archbishops, it signifies their participation in the supreme pastoral power of the Pope, who concedes it to them for their proper Church provinces. Its use can be traced back to the 4th century where Pope Marcus (336) conferred the pallium on the bishop of Ostia.
Prior to the Pontifical Mass, the new pallia are laid before the tomb of St Peter, where they remain until the Pontifical Mass the next day.
Previously, the Pope placed the pallium around the necks until recently when the Pope placed the pallium on the shoulders of the new Archbishops at the Mass.
In a recent change, Pope Francis passes the pallium to the new Archbishops privately after the Mass. The Archbishops then bring the pallium back to their Metropolitan Province where it is formally conferred on them by the Papal Nuncio, among their flock, in a separate ceremony.
Born on June 30, 1956, Paul Ssemogerere is a Roman Catholic prelate who serves as the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala. He was appointed to this position by Pope Francis on 9 December 2021. He was installed as Archbishiop of Kampala on 25 January 2022, at Saint Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga, in Kampla.
