Thousands of faithful from around the world gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, May 18, to participate in the solemn Mass inaugurating the pontificate of Pope Leon XIV. The Eucharist began at 10:00 a.m. and was broadcast live to millions of homes on all continents.
During the liturgy, the Pope received the pallium and the fisherman's ring, symbols of his pastoral mission and spiritual bond with Saint Peter. Representatives of state authorities, ecumenical and interreligious delegations, as well as youth and the sick, attended the ceremony.
It is noteworthy that Pope Leon XIV began his pontificate exactly on the 105th anniversary of the birth of Saint John Paul II (May 18). During the inaugural Mass, he wore the chasuble and pastoral staff belonging to John Paul II, as shown in photos taken by papal photographer Grzegorz Gałązka.
The full text of Leon XIV’s inaugural homily can be found here.
We are also pleased to announce that during the live broadcast of the inauguration ceremony from Rome on TVP1, one of the commentators in the studio was Fr. Tomasz Podlewski from our Foundation. The recording of the broadcast is available here.
