Papal ferula

Staff used by the pope

Ferula
Pastoral staff

Pope John Paul II holding the ferula of Pope Paul VI on 5 October 1997

Pope Benedict XVI holding the ferula of Pope Pius IX on 5 October 2008

The papal ferula (/ˈfɛrələ/; Latin ferula, 'rod') is the pastoral staff used in the Catholic Church by the pope. It is a rod with a knob on top surmounted by a cross. It differs from a crosier, the staff carried by other Latin Church bishops, which is curved or bent at the top in the style of a shepherd's crook.

## History

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### Early usage and dispute

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Traditionally, the popes did not use any ferula, crosier, or pastoral staff as part of the papal liturgy.[1] The use of a staff is not mentioned in descriptions of Papal Masses in the Ordines Romani. In the early days of the Church a pope would sometimes carry a crosier, but this practice disappeared by the time of Pope Innocent III. He noted in his De Sacro altaris mysterio ("Concerning the Sacred Mystery of the Altar", I, 62): "The Roman Pontiff does not use the shepherd's staff." The reason was that a crosier is often given by the metropolitan archbishop (or another bishop) to a newly elected bishop during his investiture or episcopal ordination. In contrast, the pope does not receive investiture from another bishop and is invested with the pallium during his coronation or the modern inauguration.[1]

### Re-adoption

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During the High Middle Ages, the popes once again began using a staff known as a ferula as part of their insignia. It signified temporal power and governance, which included "the power to mete out punishment and impose penances".[1] The actual form of the staves from this period is not well known, but they were most probably staffs topped with a knob and surmounted by a single-barred cross.[1] The staff was not a common liturgical item, and its use was limited to a few extraordinary celebrations proper to the pope, such as the opening of the Holy Door and the consecration of churches, during which the pope "took hold of the staff to knock on the door three times and to trace the Greek and Latin letters on the floor of the church".[1]

### Modern usage

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The pastoral staff carried by the popes since Pope Paul VI is a contemporary[2] single-barred crucifix, designed by the Italian artist Lello Scorzelli[3] in 1963 and carried and used in the same manner as a bishop uses his crosier. Paul VI had actually used three other ferulas, similar in style, with the other versions having a cross bar which was straight, or bent upward.[4] Scorzelli's well-known version has the cross bar curving downward, much like the paterissa carried by bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches.[5] Paul VI first used this staff on 8 December 1965, at the closing of the Second Vatican Council. The Scorzelli staff was the one retained by his successors, starting with Pope John Paul I. This ferula design is often associated with Pope John Paul II and is one of his identifying attributes in religious paintings and statuary.[1]

On 25 March 1983, Pope John Paul II used the ferula of Leo XIII with three horizontal bars in the opening of the Holy Door during the Jubilee, the Holy Year of the Redemption. In 1990, Scorzelli made a replica of the Paul VI ferula for John Paul II, which was lighter than the previous one.[citation needed]

On 16 March 2008, at the Palm Sunday celebrations in Saint Peter's Square, Pope Benedict XVI used the ferula of Pius IX.[6] This staff was used until 28 November 2009 at the First Vespers for Advent. A new ferula was given to Pope Benedict XVI as a gift of the Circolo San Pietro and, according to Monsignor Guido Marini, the Master of Apostolic Ceremonies and head of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, it "can be considered to all intents and purposes the pastoral staff of Benedict XVI".[7]

Pope Francis continued to use the ferula of Benedict XVI at the beginning of his pontificate. On 7 April 2013, at the Mass for the Possession of the Chair of the Bishop of Rome in the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, Francis returned to using the 1965 ferula of Paul VI.[8][9] Pope Leo XIV used the Paul VI ferula at his first Sunday mass and his inauguration as pope.[10][11]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f "The Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff: The Staff". Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
2. ^ Fr. Brian T. Austin, FSSP. - The Liturgical Reform of Pope Benedict XVI, EWTN On Location, 7 July 2012.
3. ^ Ralf van Bühren 2008, p. 319, 336-337, fig. 54-57.
4. ^ "Papal Retrospective: Paul VI : 5 (Includes pictures of all ferulas used by Pope Paul VI)". The Saint Bede Studio Blog. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
5. ^ The Staff By The Office of The Liturgical Celebrations Of The Sovereign Pontiff
6. ^ Cindy Wooden, "In U.S. Masses, pope to carry pastoral staff of Blessed Pope Pius IX". Catholic News Service. 10 April 2008. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
7. ^ "The Staff". web.archive.org. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
8. ^ Press, Angelus. "The Better Part". Angelus Press. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
9. ^ Wooden, Cindy (8 April 2013). "Pope Francis: Back to the crosier with crucifix". CNS Blog. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
10. ^ https://catholicvote.org/history-of-the-pastoral-staff-pope-leo-xiv-used-at-his-first-sunday-mass-as-pontiff/
11. ^ https://www.osvnews.com/in-photos-the-inauguration-mass-of-the-pontificate-of-pope-leo-xiv/

## Further reading

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* Bühren, Ralf van: Kunst und Kirche im 20. Jahrhundert. Die Rezeption des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils (Konziliengeschichte, Reihe B: Untersuchungen), Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh 2008 (ISBN 978-3-506-76388-4)

## External links

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* The Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff: The Staff (in English)
* L'Ufficio delle celebrazioni liturgiche del sommo pontefice: La ferula (in Italian)
* Philippi Collection: Crozier - Bishops' Staff - Posoch - Zezel - Pilgrim's Staff

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