Papal ferula

Ferula
Pastoral staff
Pope John Paul II holding the ferula of Pope Paul VI on 5 October 1997
Pope Benedict XVI holding the ferula of Pope Pius IX on 5 October 2008

The papal ferula (/ˈfɛrələ/; Latin ferula, 'rod') is the pastoral staff used in the Catholic Church by the pope. It is a rod with a knob on top surmounted by a cross. It differs from a crosier, the staff carried by other Latin Church bishops, which is curved or bent at the top in the style of a shepherd's crook.

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