This morning, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating a papal Mass for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, with the participation of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople. At this occasion, the Holy Father will impose the pallium on 42 new metropolitan archbishops. It will also be the first occasion at which he himself will wear the new style of pallium mentioned a few days ago.
Here are some pictures (click to enlarge):
The seven candles:
The Holy Father and Patriarch Bartholomew have entered the Basilica:
Incensation of the altar - note the statues of Sts. Peter and Paul on the altar:
To the right the statue of St. Peter vested in pontifical vestments:
The Latin deacons:
A good view of the new papal pallium:
The deacons bringing up the pallia from the confessio of St. Peter:
The new metropolitan Archbishop swearing their oath of fidelity:
The pallia:
Imposition of the pallia - here we see the only Cardinal among them, Cardinal Njue of Nairobi, Kenya:
The successor of the Holy Father on the See of St. Corbinian:
Quam oblationem:
Archbishop O'Brien of Baltimore was a concelebrant:
Communion on the tongue kneeling, as is now the standard and as announced in the recent interview of Msgr. Marini: