US EditionIn a moment of Vatican sweetness, Pope Leo receives lambs in ancient St. Agnes tradition
Two lambs blessed in a centuries-old ritual provide wool for pallia, symbols of authority worn by metropolitan archbishops, continuing a tradition dating back to the 6th century.
- On Jan. 21, 2026, Pope Leo XIV was presented with and blessed two lambs in the Vatican's Urban VIII Chapel during the Memorial of St. Agnes of Rome.
- An ancient custom dating to the sixth century underlies the ceremony, linked to the legend of St. Agnes holding a lamb and her martyrdom at age 12 or 13.
- The lambs' wool will be used to make the pallia for newly appointed metropolitan archbishops, sheared by Benedictine nuns of the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere during Holy Week, and blessed on June 29.
- After the papal presentation, the lambs were blessed at the Basilica of St. Agnes Outside the Walls on the Via Nomentana, as in recent years the Trappist Abbey no longer maintains the sheep farm and the pope does not bless the lambs at the Vatican.
- Historical records show lambs were once an annual due paid by monks of the Basilica of St. Agnes to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, with animals often bound in baskets by the Lateran Chapter.
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Our Sunday Visitor
Catholic ReviewIn a moment of Vatican sweetness, Pope Leo receives lambs in ancient St. Agnes tradition
VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Adding some sweetness to the usual general audience-focused Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV was presented with two lambs Jan. 21 as part of an ancient Roman Catholic tradition marking the feast of St. Agnes of Rome. The presentation took place in the Vatican’s Urban VIII Chapel on the feast day of the young fourth-century martyr. The lambs were later blessed at the Basilica of St. Agnes Outside the Walls in northern Rome, where…
National Catholic Register
Catholic News AgencyPope Leo XIV Receives Lambs On Feast of St. Agnes
Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV meets a pair of lambs blessed for the feast of the Roman virgin and martyr St. Agnes in the Urban VIII Chapel in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Jan. 21, 2026. The lambs — carried in baskets dressed in white with red roses for St. Agnes’ virginity and martyrdom — were later blessed in the Mausoleum of Constantina.
In a moment of Vatican sweetness, Pope Leo XIV receives lambs in ancient St. Agnes tradition - The Dialog
VATICAN CITY — Adding some sweetness to the usual general audience-focused Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV was presented with two lambs Jan. 21 as part of an ancient Roman Catholic tradition marking the feast of St. Agnes of Rome. The presentation took place in the Vatican’s Urban VIII Chapel on the feast day of the young fourth-century martyr. The lambs were later blessed at the Basilica of St. Agnes Outside the Walls in northern Rome, where St. Agnes…
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