Ciudad del Vaticano (AP) – Leo XIV, the first American Pope in history, pledged Sunday to work for unity so that the Catholic Church becomes a symbol of peace in the world, offering a message of love and communion during an inaugural Mass in the Plaza de San Pedro before tens of thousands of people, presidents, patriarchs and members of royalty.
León officially began his pontificate with his first journey in Papamóvil through the square, a rite that has become synonymous with the global scope of the papacy and his media attraction. The 69 -year -old Augustine missionary smiled and greeted from the back of the vehicle, but did not seem to stop to kiss babies.
During the Mass, León seemed to get excited when the two powerful symbols of the papacy were placed: the lamb wool stole on his shoulders and the fisherman’s ring on his finger, as if the weight of the responsibility of leading the church of 1.4 billion people had just folded over him.
He turned his hand to look at the ring and stamp and then gathered his hands in front of him in prayer.
The security was strict while the civil protection teams with neon uniforms placed the pilgrims in quadrants in the square and the boulevard that leads to it for the ceremony that combined old rituals, evocative symbols and a modern celebrity dose.
The United States Vice President JD Vance, one of the last foreign officials to see Pope Francis before his death, headed the US delegation to pay tribute to León, born in Chicago, after paying tribute in the tomb of the Argentine Pope when he arrived in Rome on Saturday night.
The theme of the papacy of León
In his homily, León said he wanted to be a server for the faithful through the two dimensions of the papacy: love and unity, so that the Church could be a peace force in the world.
“I would like our first great desire to be a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a ferment for a reconciled world,” he said. “At this time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the resources of the earth and marginalizes the poorest.”
His call for unity was significant, given polarization in the Catholic Church in the United States and other places.
Francisco’s Pontificate Radical of Francisco, who emphasized the care of the poor and marginalized and the rejection of the capitalist economic system, often angered the conservatives and traditionalists. The election of León on May 8, after a remarkably fast 24 -hour conclave, seems to have pleased the conservative Catholics who seem to appreciate their most disciplined, traditional style and their Augustinian formation, emphasizing the fundamental truths of the Catholic doctrine.
Strict security and protocol
A strict diplomatic protocol issued seat arrangements at its inaugural mass. Both the United States and Peru had seats in the front row thanks to the double citizenship of León. Vance, a Catholic convert that faced Francisco for the mass deportation plans of Trump’s government migrants, is accompanied by the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who arrived in Rome in advance to try to advance in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, is one of around a dozen heads of state they attend, as well as the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia is represented by its Minister of Culture, Olga Liubimova.
The diplomatic protocol also dictated the clothing code: while most dressed in black, the handful of Catholic queens and princesses – chalene of Monaco and Letizia of Spain, among others – dressed in white in a special privilege that is allowed. Three dozen of other Christian churches in the world sent their own delegations, the Jewish community had a delegation of 13 members, half of them rabbis. Other representatives led Buddhist, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Hindu, SIJ and Jainist delegations.
Americans celebrate
The American seminarian Ethan Menning, 21, of Omaha, Nebraska, wrapped himself on an American flag, bought at a truck stop in Iowa, to celebrate.
“Rome always felt like the home for a Catholic, but now coming here and seeing one of ours on the throne of Peter … almost makes Jesus himself more accessible,” he said.
Kalen Hill, a pilgrim from the United States, arrived in San Pedro shortly after the doors were opened on Sunday morning and said he never waited for an American to lead the church of 1.4 billion people.
“I would say that all Americans are excited about this,” he said. “It is really powerful for American Catholics who sometimes feel separated from the world church to be included in this community through Pope León.”
Indications of León’s priorities
The two symbols of the papacy delivered to León were the stole of lamb wool, known as Palio, and the fisherman’s ring. The canopy, draped on his shoulders, symbolizes the shepherd leading his flock as the Pope takes the faithful. The ring, which becomes the official seal of Leo, recalls Jesus’ call to the apostle Peter to launch his fishing nets.
The other symbolically important moment of Mass is the rite that represents obedience to Leo: while in the past all the cardinals swore obedience to the new Pope, the most recent papal ceremonies involve representatives of cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, nuns, married couples and young people participating in the rite.
In the days since his historic election, León has already outlined some of his key priorities as Pope. In his first foreign policy speech, he said that the three pillars of the Holy See are peace, justice and truth. In his first important speech on economics, he emphasized the social doctrine of the Catholic Church and the search for truth.
After the homily and at the end of the Mass, León will offer a final blessing and then enter the Basilica to greet the bosses of the more than 150 official assistant delegations.
Security was strict, as was for Francisco’s funeral on April 26, which attracted some 250,000 people. The authorities of Rome made plans to receive another 250,000 on Sunday. The main avenue that leads to it, and two nearby squares were equipped with giant television screens, and dozens of portable bathrooms have been installed in a nearby park.
Gregory and Susan Hudak, who lived for 40 years in the Chicago area, found themselves in Rome after reserving a trip in February, with only a slight hope of perhaps glimpse the Pope.
Seeing Papamóvil in front of them, with León on board, was even better than seeing Michael Jordan play, said Gary Hudak, a former altar boy who wore a hat of the Chicago Bears.
“At first, the only hope I had when I came here was to see the interior of the Sistine Chapel,” he said. “I was glad that the conclave had finished, because I could see the interior of the Sistine Chapel. Seeing the Pope was not scheduled, it was a remote hope. And this was a treasure, simple like that.”
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Giovanna Dell’orto, David Biller and the visual journalist of AP Isaia Monteleone contributed to this office.
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Associated Press’s religion coverage receives support through the collaboration of AP with The Conversation US, with financing from Lilly Endowment Inc. AP is solely responsible for this content.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
This article was published by Nicole Winfield on 2025-05-18 03:15:00
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