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A maniple is a liturgical vestment formerly common in the Roman Catholic Church and occasionally used in some Anglican churches. It is worn at Mass by those considered in the discipline before the 1972 instruction Ministeria Quaedam [[1]] to be in major orders: priest, deacon and subdeacon. Hence when a man in minor orders supplies the function of a subdeacon, he does not wear the maniple. Its use in the Roman Catholic Church was made optional after the Second Vatican Council in the year 1967 and it eventually fell out of general use, though never formally abolished or suppressed. It has been argued that, since the General Instruction of the Roman Missal makes no mention of the maniple, it should not be worn in celebrations of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite. It is noteworthy though that the G.I.R.M also makes no mention of the burse or bells and yet these, certainly the latter, are by no means scarce in the celebration of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite. It of course continues to be used as a requirement of celebrations of the Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962, now the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.

A maniple is an embroidered band of silk or other fabric and it hangs from the left arm. Its style and dimensions do vary. Of the same liturgical colour as the other Mass vestments, it is worn by the priest (Missa Lecta and Missa Cantata) and deacon and subdeacon (Missa Solemnis). It is only used during the Mass itself, and not during the administration of other sacraments, benediction or sacramentals. It may be removed while preaching.

Originally it was only a piece of linen which the clergy used to wipe their face and hands; in a word, a handkerchief. It does not seem to have been used in the Roman liturgy before the 6th century. Symbolically the maniple refers to the rope whereby Jesus Christ was led, and the chains which bound his hands. It also became known as an emblem of the tears of penance, the fatigue of the priestly office and its joyful reward in heaven. In the Anglican church the maniple is also a symbol of servanthood.

The Pope formerly wore a special maniple with intertwined red and gold threads, symbolizing the unity of the Eastern and Western rites of the Catholic Church. This vestment has not been in widespread use in the Roman Catholic Church since the late 1960s.

The maniple is roughly analogous to the epimanikia, or cuffs, used in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches.