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VATICAN CITY // At the celebration of Mass on Good Shepherd Sunday, Pope Leo XIV used a pastoral staff that is steeped in significance. Many recognized as the staff often used by Pope Saint John Paul II. Here is a detailed look at its history and symbolism.
Called a papal ferula, the staff is similar to a bishop’s crosier but is topped with a cross or crucifix instead of a shepherd’s crook. It is carried by the pope, the Bishop of Rome. Pope Leo XIV was seen on media footage for his private May 11 Mass holding the recognizable silver papal ferula designed by 20th-century Catholic artist Lello Scorzelli.
One interpretation of the design of the crucifix portion of the staff is that the V-like shape of Our Lord’s arms conveys how He reached the deepest depths of suffering in His sacrifice on the Cross and was simultaneously poised like an arrow to rise again, straight to Heaven. The crucifix was first used by Pope Paul VI at the closing of the Second Vatican Council, according to the blog of Saint Bede Studio, which designs vestments for the Roman Catholic Rite.
This crucifix, which was among several that Pope Paul VI had carried, was then used by Pope John Paul I, whose pontificate came to an abrupt and shocking end after a mere 33 days when he died suddenly in September 1978. The Church was thrust into an unexpected period of mourning, and suddenly planning for another conclave, as the previous one had just convened that August.
The College of Cardinals came together again in October that same year and elected then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyła as the next pope. The papal name he chose honored his predecessor, and he quickly picked up the pastoral cross that had been held by him.
Pope John Paul II used it at his papal inauguration Mass, and then was often seen with this staff throughout his nearly 27-year pontificate, carrying it as he shepherded the Universal Church.
According to a separate article from the Saint Bede Studio Blog, Pope Francis also used this staff shortly after he became pope in 2013, when he took possession of the Lateran Basilica as the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome.
When Pope Leo celebrated the May 11 Mass in the Vatican crypt, he gave a homily that included a message that Pope John Paul II had often shared: “Be not afraid.”
“I also said it in a very personal way, what it means to announce the Gospel to the whole world,” Pope Leo said. “Courage! Be not afraid! Many times Jesus says in the Gospel: ‘Do not be afraid.’ We must be courageous in the testimony we give, with words and above all with life: giving our life, serving, sometimes with great sacrifices to live this mission.”
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