On January 6, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, during the closing rite of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica—which marked the end of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025—Pope Leo XIV used a new pastoral staff for the first time. According to a statement published on the website of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, this new symbol is maintaining those used by his predecessors but places particular emphasis on the Paschal Mystery: the union of the Cross and the Resurrection.

Historically, the crosier was not part of the insignia of the Roman Pontiff. In the Middle Ages, popes used the  ferula pontificalis, a staff with a simple cross at the top, a symbol of their spiritual and governing authority. Its use was limited to specific occasions, such as the opening of the Holy Door or the consecration of churches.

The modern change came with Saint Paul VI, who, in 1965, at the close of the Second Vatican Council, introduced a crosier bearing the figure of Christ crucified, designed by the sculptor Lello Scorzelli. This gesture symbolized the proclamation of “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). His successors, such as Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI, continued this tradition, adapting it with variations that emphasized both the cross and elements of the resurrection, such as the Paschal Lamb.

The new crosier of Leo XIV, inspired by the style of Scorzelli, depicts Christ not nailed to the cross but with his glorified body in the act of ascending to the Father. It shows the wounds of the Passion as “luminous signs of victory,” which transform human suffering into the hope of divine life. Furthermore, it bears the papal motto “In illo uno unum” (“In that one, one”), which underscores the unity and ecclesial communion centered on the one Eucharistic Bread.

This symbolic unveiling during the closing of the Jubilee of Hope reinforces the message that the foundation of the Christian faith lies in Christ crucified and risen. The crosier, in the words of the Vatican statement, becomes a testament to the Petrine ministry: to confirm the brethren in the faith and to preside over the Church in charity.

The choice of this new symbol has been interpreted as a gesture of theological continuity, uniting redemptive suffering with the glory of the resurrection, offering a message of hope for humanity at the start of this new year.