Pope Leo XIV's pectoral cross contains a relic of St. Leo the Great
Pope Leo XIV venerates the pectoral cross reliquary
By Tiziana Campisi and Christopher WellsAlmost 16 centuries ago, the first Pope to bear the name Leo promoted the unity of the Church, highlighted the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, defined the doctrine of the Incarnation, composed some of the most beautiful prayers of the Roman Missal, and earned for himself the epithet 'the Great.'
On May 8, the day of his election to the papacy, the new Pope Leo XIV received a silver pectoral cross donated by the Circolo San Pietro , containing relics of his illustrious predecessor, along with relics of St. Augustine of Hippo and Augustinian bishops St. Thomas of Villanova and Blessed Anselmo Polanco.
The Circolo San Pietro was founded in Rome in 1869 by a group of young people at the urging of Blessed Pope Pius IX, who entrusted them with their initial charitable duty of providing meals for the poor.
The idea of the Custode of the Apostolic Sanctuary
The idea of having a new 'reliquary' cross made for Pope Leo XIV was the inspiration of Father Bruno Silvestrini, OSA, Custode del Sacrario Apostolico (Guardian of the Apostolic Sanctuary), and a member of the Augustinian community attached to the Pontifical Sacristy.
Picking up on his Augustinian confrere's desire to entrust himself to the protection and guidance of Pope Leo the Great, Fr. Silvestrini turned to expert Antonino Cottone, who had already made five reliquaries using traditional medieval techniques.
Mr. Cottone created the pectoral cross reliquary, which was donated to Pope Leo by the Augustinian General Curia on the day he was created Cardinal, on 30 September 2023.
A painstaking task
It took the expert only two hours to create, with painstaking precision and passionate dedication, a new small cross with gilded paper filigrees ( paperoles ) on red moiré ('watered silk', a textile whose appearance simulates the grain of wood or marble, producing an iridescent effect), where 4 tiny paper flowers held the relics of the 4 illustrious pastors of the Church.
Mr. Cottone skillfully rolled, shaped, and glued tiny strips of paper to create a series of decorative elements between which he then inserted the precious fragments of the 'holy bones.'
Cross presented to Leo XIV
When he had finished his work, the artisan placed the 'reliquary cross' inside the papal pectoral cross and presented it to Pope Leo XIV by placing it around his neck.
The Pope joyfully received the pectoral cross enriched with the relics of four bishops particularly dear to him.--Vatican News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Malaysia
2 days ago
- Herald Malaysia
Pope Leo XIV: A change of course is needed on environment
Pope Leo XIV writes to French guides and scouts partaking in the 'Clameurs' Rally in Jambville, which concludes today, insisting that an ecological education is needed—one that addresses not only the loss of biodiversity but also global inequalities, the lack of drinking water, and the lack of access to energy for many populations. Jul 29, 2025 Scouts de France take part to the scouts de France By Tiziana CampisiThe increasingly grave 'environmental devastation that is occurring' is profoundly challenging people's is an 'urgency' to address this by 'all of humanity..." Pope Leo XIV underscored this to the scouts and guides of France in a message sent for the great 'Clameurs' Rally in Jambville, which began on July 24 and concludes today, July 28. The gathering was organized to 'reflect on a more just and sustainable world,' with the goal of 'contributing to the protection of the environment,' 'strengthening commitment to the common good,' and 'being agents of change, putting Scouting at the service of combating climate change.' New paths to safeguard creation The Pope explained to the young people that 'in the face of pollution and climate change, the loss of biodiversity, the deterioration of life and social degradation, global inequalities, the lack of drinking water and access to energy for many populations, an ecological education is essential for everyone to reverse the order of things.' Therefore, the 'Clameurs' Rally, the Holy Father said, 'allows [us] to discern and find new paths and directions to safeguard our common home.' 'You are young, you are full of ideas and enthusiasm. You want to conquer the world not to subdue it, but to serve the life that comes from God,' the Pope observed, adding that to fully live out Christian values requires 'humility,' a 'spirit of service,' and 'a deep relationship with Christ.' Interior conversion is necessary 'Only an inner conversion makes possible the change of habits and mentality that leads to a new way of living in communion with the environment,' Pope Leo affirmed. He acknowledged that scouts—accustomed to living in nature, to crafting objects, participating in games and night vigils, and finding their way—tend 'to treat creation with respect,' and for this reason they can 'give so much to society through' their 'way of life.' Convinced that the days at the Jambville event can further enrich young people 'with values such as encountering and welcoming others in their differences and complementarity,' the Pope urged the youth of the movement founded by Robert Baden-Powell to be 'ambassadors of fraternity and peace' in their daily environments. The 'different cultural traditions,' the various 'social contexts' they come from, and their different ages and personalities, the Holy Father pointed out, are 'a richness, a resource,' because they allow one to see things more broadly 'and to imagine a world of peace with the weapons of the Christian: faith, truth, justice, and the Gospel of peace.' The responsibility of being disciples of Christ Then, addressing those who are receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation at the gathering, Pope Leo specified that in this sacrament one receives 'the Holy Spirit in fullness,' a 'divine presence' that 'guides, enlightens and comforts' on the 'journey of faith.' Hence comes the 'invitation to invoke Him often so as to be filled with His gifts and graces.' With confirmation there arises 'the responsibility' to be active disciples of Christ, committed 'to proclaiming the Gospel and to loving one's neighbor,' the Holy Father added. The faithful, he said, are thus 'charged with bearing witness' to their 'faith in the world, [of] being agents of change and hope in society,' and for this one needs 'a life of prayer and friendship with God.' Never stop believing in a better world Finally, the Pope encouraged the French scouts 'to go forward without losing hope,' without becoming discouraged 'and without giving in to pessimism.' 'Know that each of you is unique in creation, personally loved by the Lord. Never stop believing in a better world and in the coming of an authentic civilization of love,' Pope Leo concluded, expressing the hope that young people, as Pope Francis has said, may 'be builders of bridges between generations, cultures and peoples.'--Vatican News
Herald Malaysia
4 days ago
- Herald Malaysia
Pope encourages Pax Christi to continue to promote nonviolence
Pope encourages Pax Christi to continue to promote nonviolence In a message to participants in Pax Christi USA's annual National Assembly, Pope Leo says 'efforts to promote nonviolence are all the more necessary' in a world facing the challenges including war, division, and forced migration. Jul 27, 2025 Pope Leo (file photo) By Christopher Wells 'In the midst of the many challenges facing our world at this time, including widespread armed conflict, division among peoples, and the challenges of forced migration, efforts to promote nonviolence are all the more necessary,' says Pope Leo XIV in a message to the National Assembly of Pax Christi USA. The US branch of the international Catholic peace movement is meeting in Detroit, Michigan, this weekend (25-27 July) for a conference focused on 'Reclaiming the power of nonviolence in a broken world'. In his message, which was read to participants during opening ceremonies on Friday night, Pope Leo invited participants to recall that 'after the violence of the Crucifixion, the Risen Christ's first words to the Apostles offered peace,' a peace that is 'unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering'. Jesus, he continued, 'continues to send His followers into the world to become creators of peace in their daily lives'. Therefore 'it is all the more important for a Church capable of reconciliation to be present and visible' in parishes, neighbourhoods, and especially on the peripheries of society. Pope Leo expressed his hope that the National Conference would inspire members of Pax Christi USA to work to make their local communities ''houses of peace' where one learns how to defuse hostility through dialogue, where justice is practiced and forgiveness is cherished'. By doing so, he said, 'you will enable many more people to embrace Saint Paul's invitation to live at peace with their brothers and sisters'. The Holy Father concluded his Message by entrusting the Assembly to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church and imparting his Apostolic Blessing to participants.--Vatican News
The Star
6 days ago
- The Star
Curious Cook: The elusive essence of flavour
The last of my aunts on my mother's side passed away recently, and one of my memories of her was at a family wedding dinner 12 years ago where she and other family members were nonchalantly mixing St-Émilion red wine with cola or lemonade. They encouraged me to do the same, because they said red wine by itself was too 'sour' or 'bitter'. I had tried the mixture before in Spain (where it is called kalimotxo), but it is more acceptable to mix cola and ice with cheap vino de mesa than a full-bodied expensive claret. And to be fair, a kalimotxo was a refreshingly nice drink, especially in the heat of a Spanish summer. First problem However, it did make me think of how one would describe a 'nice drink'. That is because a lot depends on context and the influence of peers. In a 2008 experiment, researchers at the University of Bordeaux served blindfolded oenology (wine science) university students the same white wine twice, once described as a white wine and again later as a 'red' wine. The outcome was remarkable. When the students believed they were drinking red wine, they used terminology and descriptors typically associated with red wines (berries, tannins, etc.). When they believed the same wine was white, they used completely different descriptors typical of white wines (floral notes, citrus, etc). The experiment demonstrated how powerful cognitive expectations are in sensory perception. Simply being told the wine was red caused the participants' brains to interpret the flavours through that lens, despite the wine actually being white. Wine experts have a specific lexicon to describe the taste of wine. — ELINA SAZONOVA/Pexels The study challenged assumptions about wine expertise and highlighted how personal expectations and prior information significantly influence how we experience and describe wine, even among those with formal training in wine tasting. Second problem Apart from inherent biases due to cognitive expectations, a more fundamental issue may be how flavours are communicated in the first place. How would you describe the flavour of vanilla to someone who has never tasted it? What words would you use? Can you imagine describing the fragrant spicy creaminess of curry laksa to an Eskimo? Flavour is a multisensory illusion. Unlike vision or hearing, which are tied to specific organs, flavour emerges from an orchestration of inputs, processed into a neurological symphony by the brain. The core inputs are: • Taste, (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami) perceived via the tongue • Smell, via orthonasal and retronasal olfaction, which is a major factor which can contribute up to 80% of a perceived flavour, depending on the intensity • Texture, temperature, and even sound, (eg, the crunch of a potato crisp), detected by the mouth and ears. The brain's orbitofrontal cortex integrates these signals into a unified experience. But language resides in the brain's Broca's and Wernicke's areas, regions evolved for communication, not sensory processing. This anatomical divide introduces a fundamental problem: How can humans translate the harmony of flavours into a sequence of meaningful words? The problem may be because our brains evolved to prioritise survival, not poetry. Early humans needed to communicate 'this berry is really poisonous' far more urgently than 'this berry has a tannic sharpness with floral undertones.' As a result, the language for describing taste remains rudimentary compared to our sensory capacities. Chocolate described as 'silky' triggers multisensory expectations. — VIE STUDIO/Pexels The orbitofrontal cortex processes flavours in vivid, multidimensional detail, but Broca's area struggles to encode these sensations into the linear, symbolic structure of language. This mismatch explains why even seasoned food critics resort to metaphors like 'charming' or 'explosive' – words that evoke emotions or physical sensations rather than precise flavours. This neural gap in our brains also shapes cultural differences in taste communication. For instance, the Japanese term 'koku' – describing a flavour's lingering depth – has no direct English equivalent, much like the Inuit word 'ikuumaq' (literally 'tasting like seal fat') relies on lived Arctic experience. When a Thai chef describes 'prik pon' (a specific crunchy spiciness), the term activates sensory memories in local Thais but leaves outsiders grasping for meaning. Our linguistic tools, constrained by both biology and culture, necessarily filter the vastness of flavours into bite-sized descriptors, often losing subtleties and even meaning in translation. Semiotics isn't enough Semiotics is a means for describing experiences, developed separately and independently in the late 19th century by a Swiss linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure, and an American philosopher, Charles Sanders Peirce. In simple terms, semiotics is the study of signs and symbols, and how they combine to create meaning in an attempt to communicate an understanding of experiences and the world. Signs can be words, images, sounds, gestures, objects, etc, and semiotics investigates the relationship between signs and what they represent. Ultimately semiotics attempts to explain how such signs function to express meaning within cultural and social systems. So whenever you are describing a food encounter, you are actually applying semiotics using words and possibly gestures in an attempt to convey what you had experienced. Yet, semiotics is inherently imperfect. As philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein noted, 'The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.' If a culture lacks a word for 'vanilla,' does that diminish its ability to perceive vanilla? And the answer, probably, is Yes. It would not be significantly different from your inability to perceive the experience of ikuumaq (I am assuming you are not an Inuit reading this). Perceptual fingerprints Some neuroscientists argue, with good reason, that flavours are inherently idiosyncratic. Genetic variations (for example, numbers of taste buds and olfactory neurons, etc), past experiences, and even moods create unique perceptual fingerprints which attach themselves to the flavours encountered. Two people sipping the same wine may have radically different neural responses – ones no vocabulary can fully reconcile. However, this neural divide is not insurmountable. Just as musicians are trained to discern pitch, individuals can hone their flavour vocabulary. Wine experts, for example, develop a specialised lexicon ('tannic,' 'jammy', 'plummy', etc) that refines their perceptual acuity. Studies show that sommeliers' brains exhibit heightened connectivity between the orbitofrontal cortex and Broca's area, suggesting that practice can bridge the perception-language divide. Hallucinations Curiously, imperfect semiotics can be used as perception filters, which reduce our ability to independently experience the flavours of foods. Such perception filters are used extensively in marketing to steer our sensory perceptions in the direction of the food producers' goods. For example, a wine labelled as 'complex, with hints of dark berries' may be perceived as such, even if the taster detected none of those notes. This phenomenon, called 'label-induced hallucination,' reveals language and semiotics' power to distort reality. Food packaging is a masterclass in semiotic manipulation. Artisanal buzzwords commonly used such as 'small-batch,' 'handcrafted,' and 'locally sourced' evoke exclusiveness and quality, even if the product is in fact mass-produced. Cross-sensory or 'synesthetic' labelling is also very often used to entice customers. Chocolate described as 'silky', or kombucha as 'exhilarating', triggers multisensory expectations even though the labels do not actually make sense. Neuromarketing research shows that evocative labels activate the 'insula', a brain region linked to disgust and craving. A 'zesty' lemonade might be perceived as tasting brighter and fizzier than one labelled 'original' or 'tangy,' even if they are identical. Boundaries If language and crafty semiotics can shape what we taste, does it also constrain our innate gastronomic experience? The answer is complex. Philosopher Carolyn Korsmeyer contends that taste creates knowledge that resides primarily in our bodily experience rather than our intellectual reasoning. This knowledge therefore exists outside of semiotics. The moment you taste a perfectly ripe mango or a stunning wine, you immediately know it's something special – and this knowing happens independently from the labelling and before you can even attempt to describe it. Remember the first mouthful of an extremely delicious food that made you feel like you are in heaven? No labelling can invoke that feeling. Hence there are likely to be some boundaries which even slick semiotics cannot cross. Either you are in gastronomic heaven, or you are not. As top chef René Redzepi once remarked, 'The best flavours are those that leave you speechless.' Beauty in the unsayable The limitations of taste language reveal a paradox: While words often shape our experiences, they also confine them. Yet, this gap invites delicious exploration, especially in the 21st century. By investigating and savouring metaphors of fascinating foods available from foreign lands, and acknowledging the idiosyncrasies of flavour, we can celebrate culinary diversity in ways that past generations simply could not. In short, the ineffability of taste reminds us that there are still many delicious wonders out there waiting to be savoured in our own very personal ways, and not just talked about. The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
