The inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV is being held today, May 18. About 250,000 pilgrims and a host of world leaders and royalty, including US Vice President J.D. Vance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Britain's Prince Edward, are expected to arrive in St. Peter's Square.
The Guardian reports this.
The service, which began at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday (11 a.m. Kyiv time), will mark the official beginning of the papacy of the first American pontiff in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.
Other world leaders attending the inauguration include Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Argentine President Javier Milei and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
In keeping with the tradition of the inaugural papal Sunday Mass, Pope Leo XIV will arrive in St. Peter’s Square and spend some time greeting the crowds. Accompanied by a procession of cardinals, the Pope will enter St. Peter’s Basilica, where he will receive two gifts that symbolize the papacy.
The first is a gold fisherman’s ring, named after Saint Peter, the fisherman who was the first Pope. The ring symbolizes the beginning and end of the papacy, and when a pontiff dies, it is destroyed by the senior cardinal. Until 1842, the ring was used to seal official documents signed by the Pope.
The second gift is a pallium made of sheep’s wool, which symbolizes the Pope’s role as a shepherd and is thrown over his shoulders before Mass begins.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on May 8, cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first Pope from the United States.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a possible meeting with the new Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, May 18.
After being elected Pope, Leo XIV offered to mediate between the warring parties in the world during a reception at the Vatican of representatives of 23 Christian Churches of the East.
As a reminder, Pope Leo XIV, elected on May 8, in February criticized US Vice President J.D. Vance's statements about the "order of love", calling them inconsistent with the words of Jesus.
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