Inauguration of Leo XIV: Pope calls for unity and condemns unbridled capitalism

Pope Leo XIV was officially inaugurated with a solemn mass in St. Peter's Square. In his first sermon before tens of thousands of people, the new leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics urged his church to stand together. At the same time, he criticized an economic model that exploits the world's resources and marginalizes the poorest.

With the Mass, the American Robert Francis Prevost also received all the insignia of his office. After a prayer at the tomb of the Apostle Peter in St. Peter's Basilica, he received the traditional fisherman's ring and the pallium, a kind of scarf. The ring commemorates Peter, who was a fisherman. According to Catholic doctrine, Leo, as Christ's vicar on earth, is also supposed to act as a "fisher of men."

As Pope Francis's successor, the 69-year-old cardinal is the first American to head the Catholic Church. He also holds citizenship of the South American country from his time as a missionary and bishop in Peru. Peruvian President Dina Boluarte was among the guests of honor at the inauguration, as was US Vice President JD Vance. Dozens of presidents, heads of government, and high-ranking representatives of royal families and other churches attended the mass. A total of more than 150 delegations were reported. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) represented Germany.

In his homily, delivered in Italian, Leo expressed his humility. "I was chosen without any merit, and I come to you with fear and trembling," he confessed. He then highlighted the unity of the Church as his greatest desire: "Dear brothers and sisters, I would like this to be our first great desire: a united Church."

He was referring to the political struggles within the Catholic Church worldwide. The reformers—including the majority of German bishops—are pushing for more liberal sexual morals and the opening of church offices to women. The conservatives, on the other hand, want to preserve traditional teachings unchanged and reject, for example, blessings for homosexual couples. In Germany, the church has been losing members for many years.

Leo himself is considered a moderate bridge-builder (literally: pontiff) who can mediate between the different camps. It is widely believed that this is one of the reasons why he was elected by the conclave so surprisingly quickly. The election lasted less than 24 hours.

From an ordinary man to the vicar of Jesus Christ on earth is quite a leap. The expectations placed on Pope Leo XIV are certainly enormous: He is supposed to heal the Church, and ideally the entire world.

In his homily, the first pope from the United States made it clear that he sees himself as following the example of his Argentinian predecessor, Francis, who had been particularly committed to helping people on the margins of society. "In our time, we still experience too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of the other, and an economic model that exploits the earth's resources and marginalizes the poorest," Leo said.

In doing so, he explicitly took a different stance than his fellow countryman, US President Donald Trump. Francis also emphasized in his sermon at his inauguration in 2013 that the Church must care for the "poorest, the weakest, the least" and called for the preservation of creation.

Before the Mass began, the new Pope made his first tour of the crowd in St. Peter's Square in his Popemobile. Unlike Francis, who mostly remained seated toward the end of his term, he stood erect. Numerous US flags, as well as Peruvian flags, were visible in the crowd.

Leo is the 267th pope in two millennia of church history. According to Catholic doctrine, he is the successor of the Apostle Peter and the vicar of Jesus Christ on earth. He is also Bishop of Rome, Primate of Italy, and Head of State of the Vatican. He does not wield great worldly power. However, for many people, he is a moral authority.