Pope Francis will bless special vestments called "pallia" during Mass on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Saturday, June 29th.

Each blessed pallium, which are bands made of white wool adorned with six black silk crosses, will be placed on the shoulders of 42 new metropolitan archbishops appointed in the past year, including two Americans. These pallia serve as symbols of communion, authority, and unity with the Pope and his pastoral mission as a shepherd to the people of God.

The tradition of the papal blessing of the pallia dates back to the sixth century, with all metropolitan bishops being mandated to wear the woolen vestment since the ninth century. Since 2015, the imposition of the pallia on metropolitan archbishops has occurred in their home countries, reflecting a commitment to "synodality" with local churches.

Among those receiving the pallium this year are Archbishop Thomas Robert Zinkula of Dubuque, Iowa, and Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne of Hartford, Connecticut. Archbishop Zinkula is admired for his pastoral approach and scholarly background, while Archbishop Coyne has pledged to emulate the Good Shepherd in his new role.

The following is a list of the metropolitan archbishops appointed in the past year who will receive the pallium:

1. Cardinal Archbishop Protase Rugambwa of Tabora, Tanzania

2. Archbishop Jozef Jonáš Maxim of Prešov of the Byzantines, Slovakia

3. Archbishop Rui Manuel Sousa Valério, SMM, patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal

4. Archbishop João Santos Cardoso of Natal, Brazil

5. Archbishop Guy Desrochers, CSR, of Moncton, Canada

6. Archbishop Gustavo Bombín Espino, OSST, of Toliara, Madagascar

7. Archbishop Ciro Miniero of Taranto, Italy

8. Archbishop Zdenko Križić, OCD, of Split-Makarska, Croatia

9. Archbishop Linus Neli of Imphal, India

10. Archbishop Héctor Rafael Rodríguez Rodríguez, MSC, of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

11. Archbishop Gregório Ben Lâmed Paixão, OSB, of Fortaleza, Brazil

12. Archbishop Prosper Kontiebo, MI, of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

13. Archbishop Fernando Natalio Chomalí Garib of Santiago de Chile, Chile

14. Archbishop Víctor Hugo Basabe of Coro, Venezuela

15. Archbishop Florencio Roselló Avellanas, OdeM, of Pamplona and Tudela, Spain

16. Archbishop Giorgio Ferretti of Foggia-Bovino, Italy

17. Archbishop Biagio Colaianni of Campobasso-Boiano, Italy

18. Archbishop Herwig Gössl of Bamberg, Germany

19. Archbishop Udo Markus Bent of Paderborn, Germany

20. Archbishop Vincent Aind of Ranchi, India

21. Archbishop Abel Liluala of Pointe-Noire, Democratic Republic of Congo

22. Archbishop Gélase Armel Kema of Owando, Democratic Republic of Congo

23. Archbishop Davide Carbonaro, OMD, of Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo, Italy

24. Archbishop Josef Nuzík of Olomouc, Czech Republic

25. Archbishop Luis Alberto Huamán Camayo, OMI, of Huancayo, Peru

26. Archbishop Rex Andrew C. Alarcon of Caceres, Philippines

27. Archbishop Riccardo Lamba of Udine, Italy

28. Archbishop Gabriel Blamo Jubwe of Monrovia, Liberia

29. Metropolitan Archbishop Hironimus Pakaenoni of Kupang, Indonesia

30. Archbishop Josafá Menezes da Silva of Aracaju, Brazil

31. Archbishop Félicien Ntambue Kasembe, CICM, of Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo

32. Archbishop Raphael p’Mony Wokorach, MCCJ, of Gulu, Uganda

33. Archbishop Carlos Alberto Breis Pereira, OFM, of Maceió, Brazil

34. Archbishop Gherardo Gambelli of Florence, Italy

35. Archbishop José Mário Scalon Angonese of Cascavel, Brazil

36. Archbishop Sergio Hernán Pérez de Arce Arraigada, SC, of Concepción, Chile

37. Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo of Abidjan, Ivory Coast

38. Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD, of Ende, Indonesia

39. Archbishop Elect Mosese Vitolio Tui, SDB, of Samoa-Apia, Samoa

40. Archbishop Benjamin Phiri of Ndola, Zambia

These appointments and the blessing of the pallia highlight Pope Francis's emphasis on pastoral care and unity within the Church.