A new chapter began for the Catholic Church on Sunday as it welcomed its 267th pope. The inauguration marked the rise of a former missionary who holds citizenship in both the United States and Peru and once rooted for the White Sox. He presented himself not as a grand authority figure, but as someone ready to bridge divides in a world increasingly marked by ego and strife.
In the cool air under gray skies, the newly chosen pope was presented with the traditional symbols of office including the Fisherman’s Ring and the woolen pallium. With these, he became the first American and only the second pope from Latin America to lead the global Catholic community.
In the days since his election, Leo XIV has made clear that he sees deep rifts in society as one of the church’s biggest challenges. Speaking from the heart of Vatican City, he reached toward traditionalists within the faith while also echoing Pope Francis’s inclusive tone. He spoke strongly against systems that drain the planet’s resources and condemned the spread of hate and violence across borders.
“Brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love,” he declared. In a show of the multilingual nature of the papacy, Mass was celebrated in Italian, with readings in Spanish, English, Latin and Greek.
Roughly 200,000 worshippers filled St. Peter’s Square, forming a wide human sea that included clergy, diplomats, royalty and political leaders such as Italy’s top officials, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte.
Leo, who turned 69 this year, generally avoids the spotlight. But during the service, he brought an energy and presence that stood out in an institution long associated with aging leadership.
Before Mass began at 10 a.m., he waved to crowds while moving through the square in the open-air popemobile, taking a route along the broad avenue built during Mussolini’s era. In a move that mirrored his predecessor, he opted not to use bulletproof shielding.
Apart from the liturgy, Leo met privately with Boluarte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky had also attended Francis’s funeral. Vice President Vance, along with his wife Usha, briefly greeted the pope, as did Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Both Rubio and Vance are Catholic and planned to meet the pope behind closed doors before heading home.
After the Mass, Leo shared a quiet moment hugging his brother who had come for the occasion.
Alcide Pimentel, a Peruvian healthcare worker living in Italy, joined a group of fifty Peruvians traveling from the north to witness the inauguration.
“It’s about what he may do for peace, about wars and injustice,” Pimentel said, describing his hope for Leo’s pontificate, which comes after decades spent as a missionary in Peru. “He’s proven himself by working [on the ground] with the people, during floods, by welcoming those in need,” Pimentel said. He said he has felt “emotional” whenever he’s heard Leo speak Spanish, the language of Peru: “It’s the language of the people he’s been with; there’s a taste of joy.”
Although the pope already assumed office after the election, Sunday’s event held great symbolic value. The ceremony honored the deep traditions of the Church and formally introduced the new leader to the world.
Leo, selected on May 8, has regularly referenced Francis and indicated some measure of continuity with him. But he has also signaled differences and has begun to put his own stamp on the church.
He tends to mix English into his Italian remarks and has won over traditionalists by speaking Latin more frequently than Francis did.
On Sunday, Leo again struck upon one of his early themes: unity, a word widely used by conservative Catholics who had sought a more traditional pope after Francis’s less doctrinally focused papacy. At Mass, Leo echoed the need for “unity” — but suggested it must also “coexist” with another word embraced by church liberals: “diversity.”
He encouraged his followers to help the poor and excluded. He made clear that belief must never be forced onto others.
“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,” Leo said.
The Mass served as the emotional starting point for this new era of papal leadership, coming just weeks after Pope Francis was laid to rest. At 69, Leo — born Robert Prevost — may hold the position for many years, with potential to lead as long as John Paul II, who began his papacy at 58 and remained for over two decades.
While Leo has declared his intention to continue focusing on migrants and human dignity, like Francis, he has also reinforced some traditional views. Last week, he reaffirmed support for marriage as a union between a man and a woman. He also repeated calls for a swift resolution to wars around the world.
Still, Leo has chosen to take a different approach in some areas compared to Francis.
Pope Francis was often criticized for statements that seemed to soften the church’s stance on global conflicts. His remarks on Russia and Gaza sparked backlash from both Ukraine and Israel.
Leo’s early diplomatic efforts included a letter to Jewish leaders aimed at improving interfaith dialogue. Israel, which had limited representation at Francis’s funeral, was represented on Sunday by President Isaac Herzog. Leo openly grieved the suffering in Gaza and called attention to food shortages there.
Before becoming pope, Leo publicly called the Russian invasion an act of “imperialist” aggression, and during his first Sunday prayer, he said, “I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people.” (Under Francis, the Vatican sought to be an interlocutor between Kyiv and Moscow, particularly in securing the release of Ukrainian children taken into Russia.)
“We very much appreciate the messages of Pope Leo,” said Andrii Yurash, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See. “They are very warm, very clear and very concrete, with Ukraine in his heart. It’s a sign of his position and support.”
Olga Lyubimova, the Russian culture minister, was scheduled to lead her country’s delegation, but a technical issue with her aircraft left her unable to attend, the state-run Tass news agency reported.
So far, Leo has managed to draw support from both conservative and progressive factions within the church. His election even sparked a spike in online interest about joining Catholicism.
Still, his firm stance on immigration and human rights may spark tension with parts of the Catholic community in America who are closely tied to nationalist politics. He continues to caution against moral relativism and recently warned about the dangers of forced belief systems that do not respect individual conscience.
But many conservatives like what they see so far in Leo.
“I think he may pull the brake on a church that’s been opening up too much. I think he stands for a more traditional church. … There’s been too much freedom,” said Giuseppe D’Elia, 74, an electrician in the square on Sunday with his wife.
Asked last week about Leo’s views, Rubio said: “Well, first of all, the pope is not a political figure.” He said the “church has strong social doctrine, teachings, and I think there is not incompatibility” between the Vatican and the White House.
Under Leo, signs of American culture are becoming more visible at the Vatican. On Saturday, Rubio bumped into Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King and Maria Shriver during a private tour. Shriver and Rubio are Catholic, and Oprah shares a hometown with the new pope.
But Leo has shown equal loyalty to Peru. On Sunday, two priests from his years as bishop in Chiclayo joined him in the popemobile. One of them, Rev. Edgar Rimaycuna, is expected to serve as his close aide.
After riding through the crowd in the popemobile, Leo entered St. Peter’s Basilica for the formal ceremony. The cardinals present observed as he kissed the main altar under the towering canopy built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini nearly four centuries ago.
The patriarchs of the Eastern Churches accompanied Leo as he descended the marble stairs into the grottos and the chapel of the Tomb of Saint Peter, where he paused in prayer and incensed the site amid chants of the Litany of the Saints and thunderous organ notes.
In the subterranean space, the symbolic pallium and Ring of the Fisherman were taken from a reliquary. The pallium is a kind of ceremonial stole and collar of lamb’s wool, to indicate the pope as the shepherd of his flock. The golden fisherman’s ring, emblazoned with the image of St. Peter and engraved Leo XIV, commemorates the New Testament account of Jesus guiding Peter to a miraculous catch of fish.
These items, along with a richly decorated Book of the Gospels, were brought out by a group of cardinals and placed on an outdoor altar. Leo bowed in front of them and began the Mass. Senior cardinals then helped place the garments and ring on him.
The ceremony included a moment where twelve individuals, including clergy, laypeople, a married couple and children from different continents, pledged their obedience to the new pope.
Next Sunday, Leo will formally assume his role as bishop of Rome during a ceremony at St. John Lateran Basilica, completing the official launch of his papacy.
