Leo XIV inaugurates his papacy with a call for world peace and unity

Leo XIV inaugurated his teaching this Sunday with a Mass in which he was presented with the symbols of papal power, the pallium and the Fisherman's Ring, and in which he delivered a passionate call for unity in the Church and peace in a world marked by "too much hatred and prejudice."

The day began with the new pontiff's first ride aboard the popemobile, traveling through St. Peter's Square and along the Via della Conciliazione to greet the nearly 200,000 people who arrived at the Vatican for the ceremony.

He then entered the basilica to pray at the place where, according to tradition, the apostle Peter was buried, under Bernini's great canopy.

The Pope's shock

In that very place were also placed the two symbols of papal power: the pallium, a white wool stole that is placed over the pope's shoulders, like a sheep over its shepherd, and the Fisherman's Ring that he will wear until his death or resignation.

Leo XIV prayed silently in this evocative place and before the symbols that would represent him. He then processed with his pastoral staff to the square, accompanied by a long line of clergy led by deacons holding up the Gospel.

The inaugural Mass of Leo XVI's Petrine ministry was celebrated in the square at the foot of the Vatican Basilica, before thousands of faithful, officials, and representatives from 150 countries and organizations.

With all of them as witnesses, the new pope received the pallium on his shoulders, decorated with six black silk crosses and fastened with three pins reminiscent of Christ's nails.

Afterwards, the Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle placed on his right hand the Fisherman's Ring, made of gold and depicting Saint Peter with the nets, as the fisherman of faith.

The kings of Spain, before Leo XIV

The era of Leo XIV had begun and the new pontiff looked at his hand, visibly moved, almost holding back tears, while a resounding applause rose from the square.

Among the authorities and dignitaries attending this historic moment were the King and Queen of Spain, Felipe VI, and Queen Letizia, dressed strictly in white, as tradition dictates for European Catholic queens.

The front rows of the Mass were reserved for the new pope's two countries: his home country, the United States, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in attendance; and his chosen country, Peru, where he served as a missionary and bishop for much of his life and from which President Dina Boluarte arrived.

There were also gestures of easing tensions in Vatican Square, such as a handshake between Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, following the clash the two had with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in February.

For peace and unity

Leo XIV then delivered his homily in which he acknowledged the great importance of the mission entrusted to him on May 8, following the conclave that elected him successor to Francis and head of a church with approximately 1.4 billion faithful worldwide.

"I was elected without any merit, and with fear and trepidation, I come to you as a brother," he confessed.

The new pope proposed a united Church in which its leader "must never give in to the temptation of being a solitary leader." and that it acts as a "leaven for a reconciled world," especially when, he warned, the world is experiencing "too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of what is different, by an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth's resources and marginalizes the poorest."

In this context, his idea of ​​"building a new world where peace reigns" resonated strongly in the square.

Once the Mass concluded, the American pontiff presided over the Regina Caeli prayer, which replaces the Angelus during the Easter period, remembering Francis and thanking the delegations present and the brotherhoods among the public who had arrived for the Jubilee.

But he also recalled current conflicts: Leo XIV denounced that in the Gaza Strip "the children, families, and elderly survivors are starving," words heard on-site by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

As well as "tormented" Ukraine, which, he stressed, "finally awaits negotiations for a just and lasting peace," following the talks opened in Istanbul between Moscow and kyiv.

Then it was time for the hand-kissing ceremony inside the basilica, with Prevost spending nearly an hour and twenty minutes greeting each of the heads of delegation, holding brief conversations, and making a gesture that broke with strict Vatican protocol: a hug from his older brother, Louis.

(AP)