The pallia given by the Pope, as a sign of the unity and authority of the archbishops (as well as the Pope himself) have very special origins. Each one is made from the wool of lambs blessed every year on the feast of Saint Agnes (see John Paul II doing so in 2004) and are then given on the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul whether in person or by proxy through the papal representative in their own country. The earliest we can be sure that pallia were used in the western was the 4th Century when, as recorded in "Liber Pontificalis" Pope Marcus gave the right to wear the pallium to the Bishop of Ostia. Originally, only the Pope had the right to wear the pallium, but over time this right was extended to recognize other bishops, before being standardized as being given upon request to all those archbishops who are united to the See of Peter in the 9th Century.
The pallium of the 6th Century was worn around the shoulders as to form a v-shape with each end hanging down on the left side. In the 8th Century the style changed to allow the ends to fall down the front and back and eventually it was shortened and simplified to be a circular band of only about two inches wide with ends hanging down the front and back. The 6 red crosses which decorated it, later replaced by black crosses, also came to be decorated with small pins. Originally these served simply a practical purpose to keep the pallium in place, later however they became more for decoration and later still to symbolize the nails which were driven into the hands and feet of Christ and thus limited to three.
The word "pallium" probably comes from the Latin word palla or a woolen cloak. It is worn in a much larger form by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Byzantine rite bishops, which is called the omophorion. The pallium though was given a more unique distinction in 1978 after the election of Albino Cardinal Luciani as Pope John Paul I. Rather than have a coronation, John Paul I marked his enthronement with the imposition of the pallium. This example was followed by his successor, Pope John Paul II, who lamented that negative image that had been given to the Papal tiara and so also marked his own installation by receiving the pallium.
In 2005, following the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger to the see of Peter as Pope Benedict XVI there was to be something of a "pallium restoration". While it was not possible to restore the coronation ceremony, Benedict XVI did want to show the unique position of the Pope in regards to other metropolitan archbishops. So, he decided to restore the larger and more traditional pallium of the 6th Century. Crosses were red instead of black and the pallium hung about the shoulders and down the left side. It is also much wider and longer than that worn by ordinary archbishops, though still not as large as the Byzantine version. The imposition of this special "papal pallium" along with the Fisherman's Ring of St Peter was used by Pope Benedict XVI to mark his enthronement and symbolize his position.
