Shortly after receiving the woolen pallium as a symbol of unity from Pope Leo XIV, four Canadian metropolitan archbishops returned from Rome amid a Church confronting fresh division after the Vatican declared the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X “schismatic” and its adherents excommunicated.

Two of the new metropolitan archbishops spoke with CCN, described receiving the pallium and the responsibility to keep their flocks united.

“Unity has always been our mission, but even more in the times we are living now,” said Archbishop Charles Duval, CSsR, of Grouard-McLennan, Alberta.

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He said the Pope’s call for archbishops “to be like St. Peter and St. Paul, builders of unity, came to me as a confirmation of what is important for an archbishop today, but also what should be important to any Christian.”

Duval was among 35 archbishops from around the world who had gathered for the Pallium Mass with Pope Leo at St. Peter’s Basilica June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. In his homily, the Pope noted how the two apostles illustrated unity amid disputes, with Peter gathering the Church on the question of baptizing Gentiles, and Paul rebuking Peter when necessary.

Duval reflected on the declaration of schism, announced July 2 after the SSPX consecrated four bishops without papal permission. When he learned of the schism, “I realized how heavy these words must have been for the Holy Father to say that day,” he said.

The pallium is a symbol of unity for the archbishop as well as for the faithful, he said, “So everyone who sees it may feel the same call to be faithful to following Jesus, His teaching and the teachings of the Holy Spirit.”

Archbishop Stephen Hero of Edmonton said it was “a tremendous experience of grace” that highlighted the mission for archbishops to be shepherds for their people in their own struggles.

He described the woolen pallium — decorated with wound-like crosses — as a reminder of Christ, “both Lamb of God and Good Shepherd, as the source of life and communion in the Church.”

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For Hero, receiving the pallium reinforced the Pope’s call for archbishops “to maintain communion with Christ in the Church with the successor of Peter and to be builders of unity.”

The liturgy also left a personal impression on both men.

Hero said it made him conscious of his mission “to visibly bear the gentle yoke of the Gospel, to be a shepherd after Christ’s own heart and to strive to carry the flock of Christ entrusted to me with their wounds and particular needs.”

Duval described the emotions he felt during the liturgy, the first time he had ever concelebrated Mass at the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica. 

“What stood out for me … was the eagerness of the people in attendance that day,” many of them attending because they knew one or more archbishops receiving the pallium.

“The joy on their faces during the entrance and final procession … was a real treat for me.”

Duval remains hopeful following the week’s events. 

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“I pray that despite divisions in the Church and in the world, the eagerness of the people from all over the world who were present that day in St. Peter’s Basilica will strengthen in them the desire as they go back home to be peacemakers and help unity be restored where division reigns.”

The other Canadian archbishops to receive the pallium that day, along with Hero and Duval, were Archbishop Guy Boulanger of Sherbrooke, Que., and Archbishop Susai Jesu, OMI, of Keewatin-Le Pas, in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan.