Pope Leo XIV has delivered a message of love and unity to a crowd of 200,000 pilgrims at his inaugural mass.
Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, was officially installed as the head of the Catholic Church at an outdoor Mass in St Peter’s Square, today, Sunday, May 18, 2025, with world leaders and European royalty in attendance.
Dignitaries in attendance included the Presidents of Israel, Peru and Nigeria; the Prime Ministers of Italy, Canada and Australia; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; and Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia.
The United States delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic who had clashed with Francis over the White House’s approach to immigration.
The Mass, which marks the official start of Leo’s papacy is the biggest event to take place at the Vatican since the funeral of his predecessor, Pope Francis, in April.
In his sermon, Leo, the first American Pope, called for unity within the church, saying that he wanted it to act as a force for peace in the world.
“I would like that our first great desire be for a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.
“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest.”
Pope Leo XIV
Calling for more love and unity, Leo said that the church’s “true authority” was the charity of Christ.
Leo stated that he was assuming the role as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics “with fear and trembling” and insisted he would not lead like “an autocrat.”
“It is never a question of capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or by means of power. Instead, it is always and only a question of loving, as Jesus did.”
The Pope also prayed for the victims of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza in his sermon, saying Ukraine was being “martyred” and lamenting that Palestinians were being “reduced to starvation.”
Pope Leo XIV
The 69-year-old Pope, who was born in Chicago and spent years as a missionary in Peru, succeeds the late Pope Francis, whose 12-year tenure was marked by tensions with traditionalists within the church.
In an apparent nod to conservatives, Leo said that he was committed to protecting “the rich heritage of the Christian faith.”
Before the ceremony, Leo took his first popemobile ride through St Peter’s Square, waving to crowds.
Before arriving at the altar in St Peter’s Square, alongside a procession of cardinals and bishops, Leo received two gifts that symbolised the papacy.
The first was a gold signet fisherman’s ring, which is named in honour of St Peter, a fisher who was the first pope. The ring represents the beginning and end of a papacy, and when a pontiff dies, it is destroyed by a senior cardinal.
The second gift was a lamb’s wool pallium, which symbolises the pope’s role as a shepherd, and is draped over his shoulders before the mass begins.
Pope Leo XIV Meets Zelenskyy
Pope Leo XIV met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his inaugural Mass in the Vatican.
Zelenskyy in a social media post said that he was grateful to the Vatican for its readiness to host direct talks between Ukraine and Russia and “for its clear voice to defend just and lasting peace.”
“We are ready for dialogue in any format for the sake of tangible results. We appreciate the support for Ukraine and the clear voice in defense of a just and lasting peace.”
A Ukrainian official disclosed that Zelenskyy and Vance also discussed an upcoming phone call between Donald Trump and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
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