Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate began on Sunday April 24, 2005 with an inaugural Mass that introduced new symbols representing the modern-day papacy. The new additions made it very clear that Pope Benedict XVI is the direct successor of the first pope, Saint Peter.
It began at St. Peter's grave
The liturgical celebrations began with a visit to the grottoes underneath St. Peter's Basilica to pay homage at the tomb of St. Peter. In an expression of Christian unity, Benedict was accompanied by the Eastern patriarchs.
"I leave from where the apostle arrived," he said as he left the tomb to proceed to St. Peter's Square for the Mass, "because it is the place of Peter's martyrdom."
The new pallium
Pope Benedict's pallium is different from the previous popes. It has the shape of the original pallium, an ancient episcopal symbol woven in pure wool, which popes started wearing in the fourth century and continued wearing throughout the first millennium. It symbolizes the yoke of Christ carried on the shoulders of the Vicar of Christ. Benedict's pallium includes images of Jesus as the Good Shepherd; he carries it on his shoulders to symbolize that he is carrying the "lost sheep."
His pallium is unusually long — almost 2.6 yards long — to differ from the short, stole-like palliums worn by bishops. It's embroidered with five red silk crosses (differing from the six black ones of bishops) representing the five wounds of the Shepherd who allowed himself to be crucified for the sheep. Pins pierce three of the crosses, to symbolize the nails that held Christ on the cross.
The tips of the pallium are embroidered in black silk, representing the feet of lambs. The wool of the pallium came from sheep and lambs that were raised by Trappist monks near Rome.
In his homily at the installation Mass, Pope Benedict explained the symbolism: "I should simply like to comment on the two liturgical symbols which represent the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry....
"The first symbol is the Pallium, woven in pure wool, which will be placed on my shoulders. This ancient sign, which the Bishops of Rome have worn since the fourth century, may be considered an image of the yoke of Christ, which the Bishop of this City, the Servant of the Servants of God, takes upon his shoulders. God's yoke is God's will, which we accept.... The symbolism of the Pallium is even more concrete: the lamb's wool is meant to represent the lost, sick or weak sheep which the shepherd places on his shoulders and carries to the waters of life. For the Fathers of the Church, the parable of the lost sheep, which the shepherd seeks in the desert, was an image of the mystery of Christ and the Church. The human race – every one of us – is the sheep lost in the desert which no longer knows the way. The Son of God will not let this happen; he cannot abandon humanity in so wretched a condition. He leaps to his feet and abandons the glory of heaven, in order to go in search of the sheep and pursue it, all the way to the Cross. He takes it upon his shoulders and carries our humanity; he carries us all – he is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. What the Pallium indicates first and foremost is that we are all carried by Christ. But at the same time it invites us to carry one another. Hence the Pallium becomes a symbol of the shepherd's mission....
"One of the basic characteristics of a shepherd must be to love the people entrusted to him, even as he loves Christ whom he serves.'Feed my sheep,' says Christ to Peter, and now, at this moment, he says it to me as well. Feeding means loving, and loving also means being ready to suffer...."
The Fisherman's Ring
Pope Benedict XVI also received his papal ring, which was forged with an image of St. Peter on his boat with fishing nets. This connects his papacy to the first pope, who was the fisherman who believed in the word of Jesus and thus cast his net into the waters and miraculously caught a great quantity of fish.
Pope Benedict explained: "The second symbol used in today's liturgy to express the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry is the presentation of the fisherman's ring. Peter's call to be a shepherd, which we heard in the Gospel, comes after the account of a miraculous catch of fish: after a night in which the disciples had let down their nets without success, they see the Risen Lord on the shore. He tells them to let down their nets once more, and the nets become so full that they can hardly pull them in; 153 large fish: "and although there were so many, the net was not torn" (John 21:11). This account, coming at the end of Jesus' earthly journey with his disciples, corresponds to an account found at the beginning: there too, the disciples had caught nothing the entire night; there too, Jesus had invited Simon once more to put out into the deep. And Simon, who was not yet called Peter, gave the wonderful reply: "Master, at your word I will let down the nets." And then came the conferral of his mission: "Do not be afraid. Henceforth you will be catching men" (Luke 5:1-11). Today too the Church and the successors of the Apostles are told to put out into the deep sea of history and to let down the nets, so as to win men and women over to the Gospel – to God, to Christ, to true life...."
Working for Christian Unity
"Here I want to add something: both the image of the shepherd and that of the fisherman issue an explicit call to unity. "I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must lead them too, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd" (John 10:16); these are the words of Jesus at the end of his discourse on the Good Shepherd. And the account of the 153 large fish ends with the joyful statement: "although there were so many, the net was not torn" (John 21:11). Alas, beloved Lord, with sorrow we must now acknowledge that it has been torn! But no – we must not be sad! Let us rejoice because of your promise, which does not disappoint, and let us do all we can to pursue the path towards the unity you have promised. Let us remember it in our prayer to the Lord, as we plead with him: yes, Lord, remember your promise. Grant that we may be one flock and one shepherd! Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity!"
Pledging obedience to the Pope's authority
Another change added to the installation celebration was the Rite of Obedience: Instead of the cardinals pledging obedience to him (they had done so previously), the whole Church pledged obedience, representated by a group of twelve all-inclusive people (the number symbolizing the 12 Apostles). The group consisted of three cardinals, a bishop, a priest, a deacon, a married couple, a nun, a religious brother and two youths who had recently received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
This pledge of obedience means that we all acknowledge that Pope Benedict XVI is the Vicar of Christ, the shepherd that God has given us to guide us in the true faith regardless of the man's imperfections. "Weak servant of God that I am," he said, "I must assume this enormous task, which truly exceeds all human capacity. How can I do this? How will I be able to do it?... My dear friends, at this moment I can only say: Pray for me, that I may learn to love the Lord more and more. Pray for me, that I may learn to love his flock more and more – in other words, you, the holy Church, each one of you and all of you together. Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. Let us pray for one another, that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another."
