Pope, giving palliums to new archbishops, stresses unity in faith

Published: 2005-06-29

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a solemn ceremony welcoming new archbishops from around the world, Pope Benedict XVI stressed the importance of bishops' unity with the Holy See and their common agreement with the Christian faith. The doctrine and faith of the church form "virtually one single family" that expresses "the same faith with just one heart and soul, the same preaching, teaching and tradition as if it had just one mouth," he said during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29. Unity reflects the ability of people to overcome individual differences in order to "look toward the one God," the pope said. At the Mass, the pope gave 32 archbishops named within the last year a pallium, a circular band of white wool marked with six black crosses. The pallium is worn over the shoulders and symbolizes the archbishop's authority and unity with the pope. Among the archbishops from 22 different countries were U.S. Archbishops Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta, Jose H. Gomez of San Antonio, Joseph A. Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., and Canadian Archbishop Daniel Bohan of Regina, Saskatchewan.

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