Month: May 2025

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Gospel parable of the “wasteful sower” who casts seeds on fertile soil as well as on a rocky path “is an image of the way God loves us,” Pope Leo XIV told visitors and pilgrims at his first weekly general audience.

The parable can strike people as odd because “we are used to calculating things — and at times it is necessary — but this does not apply in love,” the pope told an estimated 40,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square May 21.

Pope Leo read his full prepared text in Italian and also read the summaries of the talk in English and in Spanish.

At the end of the audience, Pope Leo drew attention to ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and its limitations on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the area.

“The situation in Gaza is increasingly worrying and agonizing,” he said. “I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid and to end the hostilities, the heartbreaking price of which is being paid by children, the elderly and the sick.”

The pope also told the crowd that he could not conclude the gathering without remembering “our beloved Pope Francis, who exactly one month ago returned to the house of our Father.”

It had been more than three months since the Vatican hosted a weekly general audience; Pope Francis met pilgrims and visitors Feb. 12 and was hospitalized two days later. He died April 21.

Mercy Sister Maria Juan Anderson, coordinator of the Bishops’ Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican, which is housed in the Casa Santa Maria of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, told Catholic News Service that the office distributed 1,800 free tickets to the pope’s first audience — “a record!”

“We had eight priests hearing confessions for two and a half hours” as visitors came to collect their tickets May 20 and get information about the audience, the Vatican and the new pope, she said.

Pope Leo arrived in the popemobile for the audience, riding through the crowd in St. Peter’s Square and stopping often to bless infants, tracing the sign of the cross on their foreheads.

The pope began his audience explaining he would continue the series of talks his predecessor had begun on the Jubilee-related theme, “Jesus Christ Our Hope.”

Focusing specifically on the parable of the sower from the Gospel of Matthew 13:1-17, Pope Leo said Jesus’ parables were stories “taken from everyday life” but meant to lead listeners “to a deeper meaning.”

The parable of the sower, he said, is about “the dynamic of the word of God and the effects it produces. Indeed, every word of the Gospel is like a seed that is thrown on the ground of our life.”

The soil where the seed in the parable lands “is our heart, but it is also the world, the community, the church,” he said. “The word of God, in fact, makes fruitful and provokes every reality.”

What happens to the seed depends on the quality of the earth it lands on, he said.

“But first and foremost, in this parable Jesus tells us that God throws the seed of his word on all kinds of soil, that is, in any situation of ours,” the pope said. “At times we are more superficial and distracted; at times we let ourselves get carried away by enthusiasm; sometimes we are burdened by life’s worries, but there are also times when we are willing and welcoming.”

“God is confident and hopes that sooner or later the seed will blossom,” Pope Leo said. “This is how he loves us: he does not wait for us to become the best soil, but he always generously gives us his word.”

When people see how God loves and trusts them, the pope said, it should encourage them to be “better soil.”

Pope Leo urged people to ask God for the grace to welcome his word in their lives, “and if we realize we are not a fruitful soil, let us not be discouraged, but let us ask him to work on us more to make us become a better terrain.”

ROME (CNS) – God’s love, mercy and goodness lie at the foundation of every vocation, including that of the pope, Pope Leo XIV said.

“Let us ask the Lord for the grace to cultivate and spread his charity and to become true neighbors to one another,” he said, paraphrasing his predecessor, Pope Francis, in a homily at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls May 20.

“Let us compete in showing the love that, following (St. Paul’s) encounter with Christ, drove the former persecutor to become ‘all things to all people,’ even to the point of martyrdom,” he said.

The pope visited the basilica and tomb of St. Paul two days after the Mass for the inauguration of his Petrine ministry in St. Peter’s Square. It was part of a series of visits to the city’s major papal basilicas after his election.

People cheered and applauded as he entered the basilica, and he blessed the crowds. He walked to the steps descending to the apostle’s tomb where he knelt briefly in silent prayer.

The prayer service was dedicated to St. Paul, the so-called “Apostle to the Gentiles” who brought the Gospel to peoples across the central and eastern Mediterranean, exemplifying evangelical zeal and the missionary spirit. The visit was part of entrusting “the beginning of this new pontificate to the intercession of the apostle,” the pope said.

Pope Leo’s homily reflected on a reading chosen from the opening of Paul’s Letter to the Romans, where the apostle expresses his complete allegiance to the Lord and his faith in God’s justifying action in Jesus.

St. Paul received the grace of his vocation from God, acknowledging “that his encounter with Christ and his own ministry were the fruit of God’s prior love, which called him to a new life while he was still far from the Gospel and persecuting the church,” the pope said.

St. Augustine also was a convert who experienced choosing God after having realized God had chosen him first, he said. “We cannot love unless someone has loved us first.”

In fact, “at the root of every vocation, God is present, in his mercy and his goodness, as generous as that of a mother who nourishes her child with her own body for as long as the child is unable to feed itself,” he said, quoting from the saint who founded the religious order he joined in his 20s.

When St. Paul speaks of “the obedience of faith,” he said, he is referring to what happened to him on the road to Damascus, when the Lord appeared and “did not take away his freedom, but gave him the opportunity to make a decision, to choose an obedience that would prove costly and entail interior and exterior struggles, which Paul proved willing to face.”

“Salvation does not come about by magic, but by a mysterious interplay of grace and faith, of God’s prevenient love and of our trusting and free acceptance,” he said.

Quoting from Pope Benedict XVI’s 2011 address to young people, Pope Leo said, “‘God loves us. This is the great truth of our life; it is what makes everything else meaningful.’ Indeed, ‘our life originates as part of a loving plan of God.'”

“Faith leads us to ‘open our hearts to this mystery of love and to live as men and women conscious of being loved by God,'” he continued.

“Here we see, in all its simplicity and uniqueness, the basis of every mission, including my own mission as the successor of Peter and the heir to Paul’s apostolic zeal. May the Lord grant me the grace to respond faithfully to his call,” he said.

After praying before the altar above the apostle’s tomb, Pope Leo concluded the service and processed out the basilica, again to applause, blessing those present and making the sign of the cross on the foreheads of several babies.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV has named Cardinal Baldassare Reina grand chancellor of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences.

The cardinal succeeds Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who turned 80, the Vatican’s mandatory retirement age, April 20. The archbishop had served as grand chancellor since 2016.

Cardinal Reina, as papal vicar for Rome, is automatically the grand chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University, where the institute is based.

The institute for studies on marriage and the family was established by St. John Paul II in 1982 after the 1980 Synod of Bishops on the family called for the creation of centers devoted to the study of the church’s teaching on marriage and the family.

After the more recent meetings of the Synod of Bishops on the family in 2014 and 2015 called for a more pastoral and missionary approach to modern family life, Pope Francis updated the statutes in 2017. He said there was a need for greater reflection and academic formation in a “pastoral perspective and attention to the wounds of humanity” while keeping the original inspiration for the old institute alive.

By amplifying the institute’s scope in making it a “theological” institute that is also dedicated to human “sciences,” Pope Francis had written, the institute’s work will study — in a “deeper and more rigorous way — the truth of revelation and the wisdom of the tradition of faith.”

The anthropological and cultural changes underway affect every aspect of human life, he wrote, and that calls for a new approach that is not limited to pastoral practices and mission “that reflect forms and models of the past.”

Archbishop Paglia also is president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, a position he also is expected to retire from now that he has turned 80.

Pope Francis also updated the statutes of that body in 2016. The main goal of the academy, as founded in 1994 by St. John Paul II, is still “the defense and promotion of the value of human life and the dignity of the person,” according to the new statutes.

The new statutes added, however, that achieving the goal includes studying ways to promote “the care of the dignity of the human person at the different ages of existence, mutual respect between genders and generations, defense of the dignity of each human being, promotion of a quality of human life that integrates its material and spiritual value with a view to an authentic ‘human ecology’ that helps recover the original balance of creation between the human person and the entire universe.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The day after his inauguration Mass, Pope Leo XIV had a closed-door meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican.

The vice president also met May 19 with Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, after meeting with the pope, a Vatican statement said.

The Vatican press office released a communique outlining only what general themes were discussed during the “cordial talks held at the Secretariat of State.” The two parties expressed their satisfaction with the “good bilateral relations” between them, and “the collaboration between church and state was discussed, as well as some matters of special relevance to ecclesial life and religious freedom.”

“Finally, there was an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” the Vatican said.

According to the office of Vice President Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was present for a portion of the closed-door meeting with the pope after Vance’s one-on-one.

The two U.S. leaders were then joined by their spouses and the larger U.S. delegation for photos and an exchange of gifts. One of the gifts from the U.S. delegation was a navy blue and orange jersey from the Chicago Bears football team with “Pope Leo XIV” written on the back. The new pope was born in Chicago.

The papal audience lasted 45 minutes, according to the vice president’s office.

Vance and Rubio were in Rome to represent the United States at Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square May 18. They were accompanied by their spouses and senior White House aides at the Mass, which drew more than 200,000 people.

Later May 18 Vance and Rubio also met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also was in Rome for the pope’s inaugural Mass.

In a post on X, Vance said, “Our countries share the goal of ending unnecessary bloodshed in Ukraine, and we discussed updates on the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and lasting peace.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife May 18, their second encounter of the day.

In fact, when the pope welcomed the president to his office attached to the Paul VI Audience Hall, a Vatican video clip included Pope Leo telling the president, “Nice to see you again.”

And, when the two sat down at the pope’s desk, the pope said, “Thank you for your patience,” apparently in reference to the time between the end of the pope’s inauguration Mass, when he greeted Zelenskyy and other government leaders, and the start of their private meeting.

The Vatican press office said it did not have a statement about the meeting, but Zelenskyy thanked the pope in a posting on X.

“For millions of people around the world, the Pontiff is a symbol of hope for peace. The authority and voice of the Holy See can play an important role in bringing this war to an end,” Zelenskyy posted.

“We thank the Vatican for its willingness to serve as a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia,” Zelenskyy said. “We are ready for dialogue in any format for the sake of tangible results. We appreciate the support for Ukraine and the clear voice in defense of a just and lasting peace.”

Pope Leo and Zelenskyy had spoken by telephone May 12, and Pope Leo already has prayed publicly for the Ukrainian people several times, calling for “a just and lasting peace.”

The Vatican also offered to host direct discussions between Ukrainian and Russian representatives.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, had told reporters on the sidelines of a conference May 16 at the Augustinian Institute in Rome that the failure of planned talks May 15 in Istanbul was “tragic.”

“We had hoped a process, even if slow, could be started” to reach a peaceful end to the conflict, the cardinal said. “It seems like we are starting over again.”

As for a Vatican mediation offer, Cardinal Parolin said that the Vatican has said it is available as a place for representatives of Russia and Ukraine to meet. “This is what we are aiming for, where we hope to get to: that the two sides meet and begin direct negotiations. At least that they start speaking to each other.”

Zelenskyy, who met in Rome with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after meeting the pope, said he also spoke to them of the importance of serious negotiations with Russia.

Referring to his meeting with the U.S. officials, Zelenskyy said on X: “During our talks we discussed negotiations in Istanbul to where the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers. I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible.”

“We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange,” Zelenskyy’s post continued. “Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war. And, of course, we talked about our joint steps to achieve a just and durable peace.”

The Ukrainian president also thanked “all American people for the support and leadership in saving lives.”

Rubio had met May 17 with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Pope Francis’ envoy for peace in Ukraine. The cardinal particularly has been working to facilitate the exchange of prisoners of war and the return to Ukraine of children forcibly taken to Russia.

“We thank the Holy See for its willingness to be involved in this process,” Rubio told reporters after the meeting. He said he would not describe the Vatican’s position as an offer to “broker” a peace deal, “but it certainly is a place that I think both sides would be comfortable” coming to.

“We are grateful for their longstanding efforts, not simply on trying to broker peace but on the exchange of prisoners,” Rubio said, adding that “there are children who have been taken from their homes that the Ukrainians would like to see returned, and the Holy See has been very involved in that regard.”

(OSV News) – This is the full text in English of the homily given by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square during the Mass of Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry May 18, 2025. The homily was delivered originally in Italian.

***

Dear brother cardinals, brother bishops and priests, distinguished authorities and members of the diplomatic corps, brothers and sisters — I greet all of you with a heart full of gratitude at the beginning of the ministry that has been entrusted to me. St. Augustine wrote: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” (Confessions, I: 1,1).

In these days, we have experienced intense emotions. The death of Pope Francis filled our hearts with sadness. In those difficult hours, we felt like the crowds that the Gospel says were “like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). Yet on Easter Sunday, we received his final blessing and, in the light of the resurrection, we experienced the days that followed in the certainty that the Lord never abandons his people, but gathers them when they are scattered and guards them “as a shepherd guards his flock” (Jer 31:10).

In this spirit of faith, the College of Cardinals met for the conclave. Coming from different backgrounds and experiences, we placed in God’s hands our desire to elect the new Successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome, a shepherd capable of preserving the rich heritage of the Christian faith and, at the same time, looking to the future, in order to confront the questions, concerns and challenges of today’s world. Accompanied by your prayers, we could feel the working of the Holy Spirit, who was able to bring us into harmony, like musical instruments, so that our heartstrings could vibrate in a single melody.

I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family. Love and unity: these are the two dimensions of the mission entrusted to Peter by Jesus.

We see this in today’s Gospel, which takes us to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus began the mission he received from the Father: to be a “fisher” of humanity in order to draw it up from the waters of evil and death. Walking along the shore, he had called Peter and the other first disciples to be, like him, “fishers of men.” Now, after the resurrection, it is up to them to carry on this mission, to cast their nets again and again, to bring the hope of the Gospel into the “waters” of the world, to sail the seas of life so that all may experience God’s embrace.

How can Peter carry out this task? The Gospel tells us that it is possible only because his own life was touched by the infinite and unconditional love of God, even in the hour of his failure and denial. For this reason, when Jesus addresses Peter, the Gospel uses the Greek verb agapáo, which refers to the love that God has for us, to the offering of himself without reserve and without calculation. Whereas the verb used in Peter’s response describes the love of friendship that we have for one another.

Consequently, when Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (Jn 21:16), he is referring to the love of the Father. It is as if Jesus said to him, “Only if you have known and experienced this love of God, which never fails, will you be able to feed my lambs. Only in the love of God the Father will you be able to love your brothers and sisters with that same ‘more,’ that is, by offering your life for your brothers and sisters.”

Peter is thus entrusted with the task of “loving more” and giving his life for the flock. The ministry of Peter is distinguished precisely by this self-sacrificing love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never a question of capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or by means of power. Instead, it is always and only a question of loving as Jesus did.

The Apostle Peter himself tells us that Jesus “is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, and has become the cornerstone” (Acts 4:11). Moreover, if the rock is Christ, Peter must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat, lording it over those entrusted to him (cf. 1 Pet 5:3). On the contrary, he is called to serve the faith of his brothers and sisters, and to walk alongside them, for all of us are “living stones” (1 Pet 2:5), called through our baptism to build God’s house in fraternal communion, in the harmony of the Spirit, in the coexistence of diversity. In the words of St. Augustine: “The Church consists of all those who are in harmony with their brothers and sisters and who love their neighbor” (Serm. 359,9).

Brothers and sisters, I would like that our first great desire be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world. In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest. For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world. We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his offer of love and become his one family: in the one Christ, we are one. This is the path to follow together, among ourselves but also with our sister Christian churches, with those who follow other religious paths, with those who are searching for God, with all women and men of good will, in order to build a new world where peace reigns!

This is the missionary spirit that must animate us; not closing ourselves off in our small groups, nor feeling superior to the world. We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people.

Brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love! The heart of the Gospel is the love of God that makes us brothers and sisters. With my predecessor Leo XIII, we can ask ourselves today: If this criterion “were to prevail in the world, would not every conflict cease and peace return?” (Rerum Novarum, 21).

With the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a Church founded on God’s love, a sign of unity, a missionary Church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the Word, allows itself to be made “restless” by history, and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity.

Together, as one people, as brothers and sisters, let us walk towards God and love one another.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Launching his papacy with a call for reconciliation and communion, Pope Leo XIV formally began his ministry as the successor of St. Peter by calling for “a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.”

“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest,” the new pope said in his homily during his inauguration Mass May 18.

“For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world,” he told the estimated 150,000 people gathered in and around St. Peter’s Square. “We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his offer of love and become his one family: ‘In the one Christ, we are one.'”

A version of the quote from St. Augustine is the pope’s episcopal motto and is featured on his coat of arms.

Ecumenical and interreligious guests and more than 100 government delegations joined the new pope for Mass in St. Peter’s Square. The United States was represented by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accompanied by their spouses and senior White House aides.

Vance and the second lady, Usha Vance, visited Pope Francis’ tomb in the Basilica of St. Mary Major the evening before the Mass. “He was beloved by many Catholics around the world, and I hope you will join me in praying for the repose of his soul,” he wrote in a post on X.

Among the Christian leaders present was Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, along with other delegations from the Orthodox churches, the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Methodist Council, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and various evangelical and Pentecostal communities. Representatives of the Jewish community as well as Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Zoroastrian and Jain traditions also were in attendance.

Before the Mass began, Pope Leo rode through the square in the popemobile for the first time since his election May 8, greeting the faithful as cheers of “Viva il papa!” (“Long live the pope!’) poured out from the crowd. He then entered the basilica to pray at the tomb of St. Peter, accompanied by patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches.

Following the Gospel reading, three cardinals from the different orders within the College of Cardinals took part in the formal beginning of the Petrine ministry: Italian Cardinal Mario Zenari placed the woolen pallium on the pope’s shoulders, symbolizing his role as shepherd of the universal church; Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presented him with the fisherman’s ring, evoking St. Peter’s mission to draw people into Christ’s net; and Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo offered a prayer invoking the strength of the Holy Spirit for the new pontificate.

Representing the universal church, 12 people — clergy, religious and laity from around the world — then came forward to offer their obedience to the new pope.

Reflecting on the Gospel reading from St. John — in which Jesus asks St. Peter three times to tend to his sheep — Pope Leo said in his homily that the ministry of Peter is rooted not in authority for its own sake, but in love that serves and unites.

“Peter is thus entrusted with the task of ‘loving more’ and giving his life for the flock,” he said. “The ministry of Peter is distinguished precisely by this self-sacrificing love, because the church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ.”

The successor of St. Peter, he said, “must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat, lording it over those entrusted to him.” Instead, “he is called to serve the faith of his brothers and sisters, and to walk alongside them.”

Pope Leo also recalled the period of mourning following the death of Pope Francis, and he said that the conclave that followed the late pope’s death was “a moment of grace.”

“I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family,” he said.

“With the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a church founded on God’s love, a sign of unity, a missionary church that opens its arms to the world,” he said, calling for a church that “proclaims the word, allows itself to be made ‘restless’ by history and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity.”

At the end of Mass, the pope called for prayers for regions afflicted by war: Gaza, Myanmar and Ukraine, which “finally awaits negotiations for a just and lasting peace.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was present for the Mass and was to have a private meeting with the pope later in the day, the Vatican press office said.

Immediately after the Mass, Pope Leo met with several government representatives including Vance and Rubio, as well as Peruvian President Dina Boluarte. The pope had spent more than 20 years in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop and has Peruvian citizenship.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV will formally begin his ministry as bishop of Rome with a liturgy steeped in tradition and rich in symbolism May 18.

The “Mass for the Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry,” to be held in St. Peter’s Square, will mark the visible and public start of his pontificate while grounding it in the Catholic Church’s apostolic continuity.

Although the pope’s canonical authority began the moment he accepted his election in the Sistine Chapel May 8, the installation Mass offers the universal church a moment of shared prayer and liturgical celebration to begin the pontificate.

The morning Mass will begin with a ride through St. Peter’s Square in the popemobile. But then the pope will enter the St. Peter’s Basilica and proceed to the tomb of St. Peter, where, joined by the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches, he will pause for prayer.

The symbols of the papal office — the pallium, the fisherman’s ring and the Book of the Gospels — will have been placed there in advance, close to the remains of the apostle whose faith and martyrdom consecrated the church of Rome. Deacons then carry the objects into the square as part of the procession.

After the moment of prayer, the pope will join the main procession outside, and the liturgical celebration will begin at the altar set up on the steps of the basilica. The Mass will feature the singing of the “Laudes Regiae,” an ancient litany invoking the assistance of Christ and the saints. The chant, together with the readings and prayers, frame the new pope’s ministry within the communion of the church and the continuity of faith.

The Liturgy of the Word will include readings that recall St. Peter’s call and mission, culminating in the account from St. John’s Gospel in which the risen Christ tells St. Peter three times to tend to his sheep.

After the proclamation of the Gospel and before the pope’s homily are the formal rites of installation, which take place in full view of the gathered faithful.

The rites include the imposition of the pallium, conferred by a cardinal deacon, and the presentation of the fisherman’s ring, given to the new pope by a cardinal bishop. A third cardinal, from the order of cardinal priests, will offer a solemn prayer invoking the Holy Spirit’s strength for the pope’s mission.

The pallium, a white woolen band embroidered with black crosses, represents the Good Shepherd who carries his sheep. It is worn by metropolitan archbishops and, in a particular way, by the bishop of Rome as a sign of his pastoral responsibility over the universal church. The fisherman’s ring, bearing the image of St. Peter casting his nets, symbolizes the pope’s role as successor to St. Peter and herald of the Gospel.

Following these rites, the pope will receive the gesture of obedience from 12 representatives of the people of God — both clergy and laypeople — from various parts of the world who reflect the diversity and unity of the church.

According to the liturgical program for the Mass released by the Vatican, the rites specific to the Petrine office have been carefully structured to precede the Eucharistic prayer, in keeping with reforms introduced under Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. This structure allows the distinctive symbols of the papal office to be celebrated in a dedicated moment, without interrupting the central structure of the Mass.

The Eucharistic prayer will follow, and the faithful will offer intercessions in multiple languages for the pope, the church, civil authorities, the suffering and the entire world. The Mass will conclude with the “Regina Coeli,” prayed publicly in the square.

After the liturgy, Pope Leo XIV is expected to return inside the basilica to greet the heads of state and religious delegations assembled for the occasion. This greeting, conducted in the nave of the basilica in front of the Altar of the Confession, is not part of the liturgy but is an act of diplomatic and ecumenical respect. No bilateral meetings are expected to follow. The pope is not expected to pass among the faithful in the popemobile after the Mass.

While the specific guests and delegations had not all been announced as of May 16, representatives of Christian churches, other religions and government leaders were expected to attend the Mass.

In the days following the installation Mass, Pope Leo will visit the major papal basilicas of Rome. He is scheduled to take possession of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls May 20; on May 25 he will take possession of the Basilica of St. Mary Major and the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome.