Archbishop Ranjith was among 34 metropolitan archbishops to receive his pallium from Pope Benedict on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June 2009. The Archbishop was greeted with warmth and solemnity upon his arrival in Sri Lanka on 31 July 2009. Upon his arrival he was received by the President of Sri Lanka, such high-profile reception being due to the status of the Archbishops of Colombo as leaders (Metropolites) of the Catholic community in the country. Archbishop Ranjith took formal canonical possession of the Metropolitan See of Colombo in a private ceremony on 5 August 2009 and celebrated the Mass for the solemn beginning of his pastoral ministry as Archbishop of Colombo on 8 August 2009, when he was publicly installed in the "cathedra" of the Archbishops of Colombo.