Pope honours city archbishop

He conferred the pallium - a strip of wool with golden pins - on the Archbishop of Glasgow, Mario Conti, in St Peter's Square, Rome.

Archbishop Conti, who was installed as the Archbishop of Glasgow in February, will wear the pallium on particular feast days as a sign of his increased responsibility and his union with Rome.

He was joined by other new archbishops from around the world for the special mass, which was took place on the feast of St Peter and St Paul.

After the event, Archbishop Conti said: "The ceremony was magnificent.

"Meeting new archbishops from all corners of the earth is a powerful reminder of the universality of the Catholic Church."

The archbishop said he was "particularly glad" to return to Rome, where he had spent a substantial amount of time during his formative years.

"I am very aware that the imposition of the pallium is a reminder of my great responsibility to serve the people of Glasgow and I recommit myself to that service."

Solemn blessing

The pallium is a small strip of woollen cloth - part of which is supplied by two lambs presented annually on the feast of St Agnes, decorated with gold pins worn round the neck.

It is only worn by metropolitan archbishops.

The new palliums are solemnly blessed on the eve of the feast of St Peter and St Paul, and are then kept in a silver-gilt casket near the tomb of St Peter in the Vatican until required.

Only the Pope has the absolute right to wear the pallium and he alone can permit others to use it.

Archbishop Conti succeeded Cardinal Thomas Winning as head of the Catholic Church in Scotland.

Cardinal Winning died last June aged 76 after suffering a heart attack at his home in Newlands, Glasgow.