The last such Mass of the Resurrection

The Holy Father Benedict XVI at the elevation of the consecrated Species during the Holy Mass celebrated on Resurrection Sunday, April 8, 2012, on Saint Peter’s Square in front of the Vatican Basilica. Among the beautiful utensils visible on the altar, attention is drawn to the asterisk lying next to the paten, i.e. a golden, openwork covering of the Host in the form of a twelve-pointed star. In the old papal liturgy, it protected the Host from falling while being carried to the papal throne during the Pope’s communion. At the time of the pontificate of Benedict XVI, it was used at outdoor Masses to protect the Body of the Lord from being blown away by the wind.