Thepapal ferula (/ˈfɛrələ/;Latinferula, 'rod') is the pastoral staff used in theCatholic Church by thepope. It is a rod with a knob on top surmounted by a cross. It differs from acrosier, the staff carried by otherLatin Church bishops, which is curved or bent at the top in the style of ashepherd's crook.
Traditionally, the popes did not use anyferula,crosier, or pastoral staff as part of the papal liturgy.[1] The use of a staff is not mentioned in descriptions ofPapal Masses in theOrdines Romani. In the early days of the Church a pope would sometimes carry a crosier, but this practice disappeared by the time ofPope Innocent III. He noted in hisDe 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 themetropolitan archbishop (or another bishop) to a newly elected bishop during hisinvestiture or episcopal ordination. In contrast, the pope does not receive investiture from another bishop and is invested with thepallium during hiscoronation or the moderninauguration.[1]
During theHigh Middle Ages, the popes once again began using a staff known as aferula 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 theHoly Door and theconsecration 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]
The pastoral staff carried by the popes sincePope Paul VI is a contemporary[2] single-barredcrucifix, designed by the Italian artist Lello Scorzelli[3] in 1963 and carried and used in the same manner as a bishop uses hiscrosier. Paul VI had actually used three otherferulas, 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 thepaterissa carried by bishops of theEastern Catholic Churches.[5] Paul VI first used this staff on 8 December 1965, at the closing of theSecond Vatican Council. The Scorzelli staff was the one retained by his successors, starting withPope John Paul I. Thisferula design is often associated withPope 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 theferula of Leo XIII with three horizontal bars in the opening of theHoly Door during theJubilee, the Holy Year of the Redemption. In 1990, Scorzelli made a replica of the Paul VIferula for John Paul II, which was lighter than the previous one.[citation needed]
On 16 March 2008, at thePalm Sunday celebrations inSaint Peter's Square,Pope Benedict XVI used theferula of Pius IX.[6] This staff was used until 28 November 2009 at the First Vespers forAdvent. A newferula was given to Pope Benedict XVI as a gift of theCircolo San Pietro and, according to MonsignorGuido Marini, the Master of Apostolic Ceremonies and head of theOffice 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 theferula 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 theArchbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, Francis returned to using the 1965ferula of Paul VI.[8][9] Along with theferula of Pope Paul VI and Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis would also make use of ferula or another crosier made for him during his pastoral visits inside and outside Italy.[10][11]
Pope Leo XIV used theferula originally made for Benedict XVI during his first public Mass in theSistine Chapel on 9 May 2025.[12] At hisinauguration Mass and other subsequent Masses he would preside, Leo used theferula of Paul VI.[13]
| Jurisdiction |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | |||||
| Major basilicas | |||||
| Titles (Papal names) | |||||
| Symbols | |||||
| Proclamations | |||||
| Activities | |||||
| Vestments | |||||
| Transportation | |||||
| Household | |||||
| Staff | |||||
| Related | |||||
