杏MAP导航 Leo XIV's pectoral cross contains a relic of St. Leo the Great
By Tiziana Campisi and Christopher Wells
Almost 16 centuries ago, the first 杏MAP导航 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 鈥渢he Great.鈥�
On May 8, the day of his election to the papacy, the new 杏MAP导航 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 杏MAP导航 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 鈥渞eliquary鈥� cross made for 杏MAP导航 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鈥檚 desire to entrust himself to the protection and guidance of 杏MAP导航 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 杏MAP导航 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 (鈥渨atered silk鈥�, 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 鈥渉oly bones.鈥�
Cross presented to Leo XIV
When he had finished his work, the artisan placed the 鈥渞eliquary cross鈥� inside the papal pectoral cross and presented it to 杏MAP导航 Leo XIV by placing it around his neck.
The 杏MAP导航 joyfully received the pectoral cross enriched with the relics of four bishops particularly dear to him.
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