Monrovia, Liberia – Pallium has been bestowed upon Reverend Dr. Gabriel Blamoh Snosio Jubwe, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Monrovia, by Pope Francis, the Holy Father.
On June 29, 2024, at the Mass/Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Rev. Dr. Jubwe and other newly consecrated Archbishops from around the globe accepted the Pallium from Pope Francis.
Bishops are members of a fraternity that is represented by the pallium, a liturgical garment worn by the Pope and Archbishops of the Catholic Church over their chasubles, regardless of where they live.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia, Most Reverend Walter Erbin, placed the pallium on Archbishop Jubwe’s shoulder on Sunday, August 4, 2024, at the Pallium mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Monrovia. Speaking on behalf of the Pope, Erbin explained that the pallium-placing exercise is a fulfillment of the Holy Father tradition for new archbishops, which signifies the good shepherd shouldering a lamb. Since the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, the Shepherd of the world places the pallium on the archbishops because they are the shepherds of their respective dioceses.
Archbishop Erbin claimed that the Pallium also serves as a warning to archbishops about their duty to mankind, emphasizing that they must win the lost sheep to Christ in order to save them.
The spokesperson of the Pope revealed that the Pallium is a liturgical vestment that originated in the fourth century and came to be linked with bishops. By the eleventh century, Metropolitan Archbishops were required to obtain permission from the Pope in order to don the vestment.
“This developed into an annual celebration where the newly appointed Archbishops from around the world would travel to Rome and be given the Pallium from the Roman Pontiff.”
Archbishop Erbin revealed that the symbolism of the Pallium is rich in meaning. The Pope’s envoy to Liberia explained that the Pallia are composed of wool from lambs that are given as gifts on January 21, the feast day of St. Agnes of Rome, whose name is connected to the Latin word for lamb (agnus).
However, he has called on Catholics to pray for the good health of the universal head of the Church along with the metropolitan Archbishop as he wears the pallium leading the church in Liberia.
While Pope Francis blessed the pallium and gave the Nuncios instructions to have it legally imposed on the new archbishops in front of the bishops and faithful in the metropolitan cathedral, Archbishop Jubwe, for his part, expressed delight at being in Rome with the Pope and other archbishops last June.
With great satisfaction, Archbishop Jubwe added that he was carrying out the tremendous obligation that comes with wearing the pallium that is, to use ministries to help build a church and a society of open doors and to spread the gospel.
“I am reminded that this is not just a great responsibility, but also a responsibility to embrace service to humanity and seek the common good, to work and collaborate with governments in the promotion in furtherance that does not lead to the division of the church, but rather ensures that the people of God are fed, realizing the goals are fulfilled.”
Reverend Dr. Jubwe intimated that the task is an initiative that requires collective working, using different apostolic to get across the different sectors and working with God’s to make sure that every human being meet an ultimate fulfillment and be feed with the gospel.
Reported by: Prince Saah
Contact: +231778239813
Email: saahprince119@gmail.com
