Pope to confer pallium on Jaro Archbishop

MANILA, Philippines — Jaro Archbishop Midyphil Billones will receive a pallium from Pope Leo XIV in a mass at the St. Peter’s Basilica today.

The late Pope Francis appointed Billones archbishop of Jaro on Feb. 2, following the retirement of Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo.

The pallium is a narrow band of white wool worn over the shoulders. It is a liturgical vestment symbolizing an archbishop’s communion with the pope, and his role as shepherd of a local church.

Pope Leo will confer the pallium during the Mass for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, reviving a long-standing custom that underscores the bond between the pope and metropolitan archbishops worldwide.

The ceremony will mark a shift from the practice introduced by Pope Francis in 2015, wherein new archbishops concelebrate mass with the pontiff in Rome, where palliums were blessed, but not imposed.

The actual investiture is later held in each archbishop’s archdiocese, usually led by the apostolic nuncio in the presence of devotees and neighboring bishops.

Billones was ordained as priest for the Jaro archdiocese in 1995. He was named auxiliary bishop of Cebu in 2019 and installed as 14th archbishop of Jaro on April 2 this year.

Billones is among 48 new archbishops from across the world to receive palliums from Pope Leo, who will preside over the ceremony for the first time as pontiff.