The investiture of the sacred pallium on Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula will be held at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, more popularly known as Manila Cathedral, next month.

According to a news release posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines website on Saturday, the event will be held on December 8, coinciding with the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Charles Brown, will pin the pallium on the cardinal during a Mass.

The pallium is a vestment made of white wool worn only by the pontiff and archbishops.

The Holy Father uses the pallium to symbolize the plenitude of pontifical office.

For archbishops, it signifies the authority given to them by the pope over their respective archdioceses, particularly their bond and shared responsibility with the pontiff to pastors in their regions.

“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,” according to the Vatican.

The pope blesses the pallium, every year on June 29, during the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, to be conferred to each new metropolitan archbishop at their respective archdioceses.

The 69-year-old Advincula was among the 34 recently appointed archbishops from around the world.

He was named by Pope Francis to head the Manila archdiocese on March 25, 2021 and formally installed on June 24.

He succeeded Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who is now the head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples at the Vatican. (PNA)