The
pallium (derived from the Roman
pallium or
palla, a woolen
cloak;
pl.:
pallia or
palliums) is an ecclesiastical
vestment in the
Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the
pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on
metropolitans and
primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the
Holy See. In that context it has remained connected to the papacy.