This morning I read on another BB that Pope John Paul is willing to confer the Pallium on several Orthodox Hierarchs. I find this particularly difficult to believe since the Pallium is conferred on Archbishops and Metropolitans as a sign of unity with the See of Rome. Has anyone else heard of this?
unworthy monk Silouan

Dear in Christ Father Silouan,

I have not heard anything of this. Could you ask on that other BB what the source of this "rumor" is. It would seem very unlikely to me that this would be offered, or accepted, at this time.

the unworthy servant,

Kyrill

I find this hard to believe also. In fact to the contrary, I have heard that the Pope will no longer grant the pallium to Eastern Catholic Bishops, being both redundant and unneccessary. It is redundant and uneccesary because our bishops wear the omophorion, which is essentially the same vestment, symbolic of the fullness of the episcopal office. (However in the Latin Church it is only granted to Metropolitan Archbishops, who may only wear it in their own province. The Pope alone can wear it universally.)

I also understand it has something to do with the situation that occured with Metropolitan Judson. For those who may be uninformed: rather than receive his pallium at the June 29th Mass of Sts. Peter and Paul which is the normal way of receiving the pallium, Metropolitan judson was forced to receive his in a private ceremony due to the fact that Patriarch Bartholomeos refused to attend the Mass if any Byzantine bishop were invested.

Add to this the fact that I have never seen Metropolitan Judson wear his pallium, unlike his predecessors, I do not think the Pope is going to start handing out the pallium to Orthodox bishops. Bottom line, I think it is seen as a Latinization despite its historical symbolism for the wearer's communion with Rome.

Lance Weakland