Photo: Pope uses Cross Staff of Pius XI, XII & John XXIII today

Papist bloggers are buzzing about the Pope's Cross Staff seen today at the Palm Sunday Mass:

Ken88 found this photo, and has several more of similar high-quality. Fr. Z has more from the Mass.

It appears that this is the same papal cross staff used by Popes Pius XI & XII, as this photo suggests. update: and now TNLM notes that Pope John XIII used the "conciliar cross" as well.

Pope Benedict also strongly decried the atrocities in Iraq, saying "enough with massacres, enough violence, enough hatred in Iraq!" This week, Iragi Archbishop Rahho was found dead after being kidnapped.