Pope Leo XIV formally began his reign on Sunday when he reached the conservatives who felt orphans under his predecessor, asking for unity, promising to preserve the inheritance of the Catholic Church and not govern as “an autocrat.”
After a first trip at Popemobile before tens of thousands of people in the Plaza de San Pedro, Leo was formally installed as the 267 pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and the sovereign monarch in the city of the Vatican in an outdoor mass.
The sympathizers of the multitude stirred the US flags and Peruvians, with people from both countries who claim it as the first Pope of their nations.
Born in Chicago, the 69 -year -old pontiff spent many years as a missionary in Peru and also has Peruvian citizenship.
The crowds sang “Viva Il Pope” (Long Live the Pope) and “Pope Leone”, their name in Italian, as its distinctive and open population woven around the Plaza de San Pedro.
Robert Prevost, an unknown relative on the world stage that only became a cardinal two years ago, was chosen Pope on May 8 after a brief conclave of cardinals who lasted just 24 hours.
It happened to Francis, an Argentine, who died on April 21 after leading the church for 12 years often turbulent during which he fought with the traditionalists and defended the poor and marginalized.
The US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert who faced Francis for the Hard Line Immigration Policies of the White House, directed an American delegation along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Catholic.
Vance briefly crashed the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the beginning of the ceremony. The two men met for the last time in February at the White House, when they collided fiercely in front of the world’s media.
In his sermon, read in Italian fluid, Leo said that as the leader of the 1,400 million Roman Catholics in the world, he did not shrink in the face of modern challenges and that, at least in social issues such as the combination of poverty and the protection of the environment, the legacy of Pope Francis would continue.
Leo said that the cardinals who chose him had chosen someone “capable of preserving the rich inheritance of the Christian faith and, at the same time, looking towards the future, to face the questions, concerns and challenges of the current world.”
Unit appeal
Francis’s papacy left a divided church, with conservatives accusing him of sowing confusion, particularly with his extemporaneous observations on issues of sexual morality, such as same -sex unions.
Saying that he was taking his mission “with fear and tremor”, Leo used the words “unity” or “united” seven times and the word “harmony” four times.
“It is never about capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or through power. On the other hand, it is always and only a matter of love, as Jesus did,” he said, in an apparent reference to a war of words between Catholics who define themselves as conservatives or progressive.
“Brothers and sisters, I would like our first great desire for a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a yeast for a reconciled world,” he said.
The conservatives also accused Francisco of governing in a hard way and regretted that he belittled their concerns and did not consulted widely before making decisions.
Referring to St. Peter, the Christian apostle of the 1st century of whom the potatoes derive his authority, Leo said: “Pedro must guide the flock without yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat, giving him on those who entrust him. On the contrary, he is called to serve the faith of his brothers and sisters, and walk next to them.”
Underline the uninterrupted lineage of the Pope Pedro, the choir sang the traditional anthem “You is Petrus”, Latin for “You Are Peter”.
Many world leaders attended the ceremony, including the presidents of Peru, Israel and Nigeria, the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Australia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The European royal also took their place in the VIP seats near the main altar, including Spanish king Felipe and Queen Letizia.
As part of the ceremony, Leo received two symbolic items: a liturgical clothing known as a canopy, a zip belt that represents his role as a pastor, and the “fishermen’s ring”, remembering the first Pope, San Pedro, who was a fisherman.
The ceremonial gold seal ring is launched especially for each new pope and can be used by Leo to seal documents, although this purpose has been disconnected in modern times. It shows San Pedro holding the keys of the sky and will break after his death or resignation.
