Pope Leo to take charge of Catholic Church at grandiose inaugural Mass

Pope Leo XIV (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

Pope Leo XIV will formally take up his role as leader of the global Catholic Church on Sunday, with a Mass in St. Peter's Square that will draw tens of thousands of well-wishers, including dozens of world leaders and European royalty.

Crowds are expected to cram the Square and surrounding streets in Rome for the formal celebration, which starts at 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) and includes the first ride in the white popemobile by Leo, the first pope from the United States.

Born in Chicago, the 69-year-old pontiff spent many years as a missionary in Peru and also has Peruvian citizenship, meaning he is also the first pope from that South American nation.

Robert Prevost, a relative unknown on the world stage who only became a cardinal two years ago, was elected pope on May 8 after a short conclave of cardinals that lasted barely 24 hours.

He replaces Pope Francis, from Argentina, who died on April 21 after leading the Church for 12 often turbulent years during which he battled with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised.

US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert who clashed with Francis over the Trump administration's hard-line immigration policies, will lead a U.S. delegation alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Catholic.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also attend and would be happy to meet other leaders, a top aide has said, as he did at Francis' funeral when he had face-to-face talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in St. Peter's Basilica.

Zelenskyy last met Vance in February in the White House, when the two men clashed fiercely in front of the world's media.

Also expected at the Vatican ceremony are the presidents of Peru, Israel and Nigeria, the prime ministers of Italy, Canada and Australia, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Many European royals will also be in the VIP seats near the main altar, including Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia.

Focus on peace

In various sermons and comments since his election as pope, Leo has praised Francis repeatedly but has not offered many hints about whether he will continue with the late pontiff's vision of opening the Church up to the modern world.

His homily on Sunday is likely to indicate some of the priorities for his papacy, having already made clear over the past 10 days that he will push for peace whenever possible.

His first words in an appearance to crowds in St. Peter's Square on the night of his election were "Peace be with you all," echoing words Catholics use in their celebrations.

In a May 14 address to officials of the eastern Catholic Churches, many of whom are based in global hot spots such as Ukraine and the Middle East, the new pope pledged he would make "every effort" for peace.

He also offered the Vatican as a mediator in global conflicts, saying war was "never inevitable".

Sunday's Mass will feature prayers in several languages, in a nod to the global reach of the 1.4-billion member Church, including Latin, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Polish, and Chinese.

As part of the ceremony, Leo will also formally receive two items as he takes up the papacy: a liturgical vestment known as a pallium, a strip of lambswool which represents his role as a shepherd, and a special band known as the fisherman's ring.

The ceremonial gold signet ring is specially cast for each new pope and can be used by Leo to seal documents. It features a design of St. Peter holding the keys to Heaven and will be broken after his death, marking an end to his papacy.