Pope Leon XIV will be in a solemn ceremony in Saint Peter Square. World leaders who announced their presence

Pope Leon XIV, chosen on May 8 as Pope Francis and the first pope originating in the US, is on Sunday in Saint Peter Square as the spiritual leader of the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.

Pope Leon officiates the first job after choice of profimia photo

During the solemn liturgy of the inauguration of his pontificate, two of the main symbols of the Office are handed: Paliul (white lamb wool – with black or red crosses, which the Pope carries above the pontifical vests – no) and the fisherman's ring, the emblem of the Apostle Petru.

Although the new Sovereign Pontiff becomes a pope from the moment he accepts his choice in the Sistine Chapel, only this ceremony officially marks the beginning of his pontificate. This usually takes place a few days after the choice to allow the arrival of leaders and pilgrims to Rome.

Among the events that mark the beginning of the pontificate, the new Pope must take in canonical possession of St. John of Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome, in his capacity as bishop of the city.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, aged 69, a missionary who has spent much of his career serving in Peru and then leading the influential Dicaster of the Vatican bishops, is the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.

Born in the American metropolis of Chicago, he came to Peru on an Augustine mission in 1985, just three years after being ordained a priest, and returned in 1988 to lead the Augustinian seminar for 10 years.

According to the traditional announcement “Habemus Papam” (“We have a Pope”), spoken in the Latin language of the Balcony of Saint Peter, the name of baptism of the new Pontiff, followed by his papal name, loaded by symbolic meanings, was revealed.

It signifies “Strength during a period of crisis”explained the Catholic priest and blogger Ed Tomlinson.

The last pope who chose the name Leon lived more than 100 years ago. Pope Leon XIII led the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903.

One of the first decisions that belong to the new Pope is to choose a secretary of the Vatican state and to change the heads of the main bodies in the Roman Curia, the administrative apparatus of the Holy See.

The Roman Curia, the central government of the Catholic Church, is made up of the State Secretariat, 16 Dicaster (ministries), six economic bodies, three courts and several other academies and bodies.

The new Pope will maintain provisionally in positions all the responsible people of the Roman and Vatican Curia, in order to offer time for “reflection, prayer and dialogue before making any definitive appointment or confirmation”, announced last week.

Leon XIV's first message

During his first liturgy as a Pontif sovereign he said he hopes that his choice in front of the Catholic church will bring light “On the dark nights of this lumI ”.

Leon told the cardinal present at the service in the Sistine chapel that he hopes to be “a faithful administrator” for the whole church and added that it must identify by the holiness of its members and not by the “grandeur of its palaces”.

“Even today, there are numerous contexts in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, (…) contexts in which other certainties are preferred, such as technology, money, success, power, pleasure.”he said in his homily, spoken in Italian.

“And yet, for this reason, the mission is urgent in these places, because the lack of faith often leads to tragedies”, such as “violation of the person's dignity” or “family crisis”, he continued.

He also lamented “the contexts in which Jesus, though appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic or superman leader.”

“This is not only valid among the unbelievers, but also among many baptized people who get to live, at this level, in de facto atheism,” Pope Leon XIV insisted who chose to wear black shoes as Pope Francis and not red, according to the papal tradition.

The message to the cardinals

Pope Leon XIV sent on May 10 to cardinal around the world that he must continue the “precious heritage” left by his predecessor, Pope Francis, and represented by the vision and reforms initiated by him.

He asked the High Catholic clergy to renew their commitment to the major reforms decided by the second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

The Sovereign Pontiff said that Pope Francis, who died on April 21, gave a “example of a complete devotion to his mission.”

He emphasized the importance of social issues, especially in the face of provoking artificial intelligence, in choosing his name as a pope.

“There are several reasons for this choice, mainly because Pope Leon XIII, with the historical encyclical 'Rerum Novarum', addressed the social issue in the context of the first great industrial revolution.” said Robert Francis Prevost, in his first speech sent by the Vatican.

His first general audience with the believers is scheduled for May 21.

Who participates in the inauguration liturgy of the new Pope Leon

The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, will take part in the inauguration liturgy of the new Pope Leon on Sunday, along with numerous world leaders, such as American Vice President JD Vance, the Vatican announced.

Vance will lead the American delegation and will be accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

According to a close counselor, Zelenski is willing to have bilateral meetings with other leaders present, in the margin of the event.

At his previous visit to the Vatican, on the occasion of Pope Francis's funerals on April 26, Zeenski held direct discussions with US President Donald Trump in Saint Peter's Basilica.

Marco Rubio said he will discuss Cardinal Matteo Zuppi on Saturday, formerly sent by Pope Francis in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, about the prospects for the conclusion of the Ukraine. Rubio suggested that the Vatican could be a suitable place to facilitate the dialog between the two parties.

“I would not call him a mediator, but it is certainly a space where both camps might feel comfortable to come“He told journalists.

Among the leaders expected on Sunday are the presidents of Israel, Peru and Nigeria, the Prime Minister of Italy, Canada and Australia, the Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz and the President of the European Commission Von Der Leyen. Also, many members of the European Royal Houses will participate, including King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles III and Prince William will not take part in the official ceremony of the new Pontiff, and the British royal family will be represented by Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.

Russia will be represented by the Minister of Culture, Olga Liubimova, the Vatican confirmed.

After the inaugural ceremony, Pope Leon XIV will begin his both spiritual and diplomatic mission at the Vatican. His choice is seen by many as an opening to North America and a signal of the institutional modernization of the Catholic Church.

Where will the pope live

According to some officials of the Vatican, quoted by Reuters, the new Sovereign Pontiff chose to live the Vatican Apostolic Palace, as opposed to his predecessor who preferred a hotel.

The papal apartments are located on the last floor of the Apostolic Palace, a historical building from the sixteenth century, overlooking Saint Peter Square. These include about ten rooms, including a bedroom, a private library, office, dining room, kitchen and a chapel.

The palace has not been inhabited since February 2013, since the withdrawal of Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Leon XIV will move here after the liturgy of his pontificate, scheduled for Sunday, explained a Vatican official for Reuters.

Another official said that the security of the new Pope is one of the main reasons why he made this choice.

“At the Apostolic Palace, unlike the hotel where Pope Francis lived, it is easier to ensure the protection of the pontiff”the sources explained.

Pope's official photograph Leon XIV:

In the official photography published by the Vatican, the new Pope carries a relic cross of some Augustinean saints and the traditional white papal outfit.

The official photography will be exposed in all the embassies of the Holy See, as well as in the Catholic churches around the world, marking the official beginning of its pontificate.

The chosen signature, as in the case of the other popes, is the Latin name 'Leo' 'with the abbreviation' PP '(Pontifex Pontificum) followed by the 14th.

The official photo of the Vatican Pope News

The crucifix is ​​a relic with bone fragments of some saints in the order of Saint Agustin, of which he is a part, and on which the general postulator of the Augustinian order, Josef Sciberras, chose as a gift for his brother Robert Prevost on his appointment as a cardinal, on September 30, 2023.

“The night before the conclave, last Tuesday, I sent him a message recommending him to wear the crucifix I offered, in order to have the protection of Saints Augustine and Monica,” Sciberras explained for the Vatican press.

In the center there is a bone fragment of Saint Augustine, at the top of Saint Monica, the mother of the saint to which the new pope has a lot of devotion, as did Pope Francis. For the Augustinian order, the figure of Monica is inseparable by the experience of converting and consecrating her son.

On the left arm of the cross is a relic of the happy Anselmo Polanco, Bishop of Teruel, 'martyr of religious persecution in Spain (1936-1939), who died shot. On the right arm is the relic of Giuseppe Bartolomeo Menochio, Bishop of Porfirio, who courageously served the church during Napoleon's invasion. In 1991, Pope John Paul II recognized the 'heroic virtues', the first step in the process of beatification.

In the official statement transmitted on the occasion of publishing the photograph, the Vatican stressed that the Sovereign Pontiff wants to convey a message of hope, unity and continuity in faith, in a period described as a great spiritual and social challenge for the whole of humanity '.

Pope Leon XIV is to support his first encyclical in early June. According to a preliminary announcement, he will approach topics such as the consolidation of peace, the reform of the Roman cure and the involvement of the church in global social and ecological problems.