POPE LEO XIV has made his popemobile debut before his papal inauguration at St Peter’s.
While this morning marks the inauguration of his papacy, he took up full papal powers upon being elected as pope following the conclave.
Today’s celebration will officially commence Pope Leo’s Petrine Ministry as the successor of the apostle Peter and the new Pastor of the Catholic Church. It is expected to last around two hours.
At the ceremony, Pope Leo will receive two important symbols of this papacy.
The first is the Pallium, a vestment made of lamb’s wool that points to his role as the “Good Shepherd”.
The second is the Ring of the Fisherman, which signifies his succeeding St. Peter the fisherman.
This will be presented to him by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who had been seen as a front runner to become pope and is sometimes dubbed the “Asian Francis”.
Representatives of countries around the world will be in attendance this morning, including US Vice President JD Vance, who converted to Catholicism at the age of 35.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also be at today’s inauguration of the first pope to come from the United States of America.
Here at home, President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins will be attending, as well as Independent TD Noel Grealish.
In a statement following the announcement of Leo XIV’s election, President Higgins remarked that Ireland “enjoys a long-standing and deeply rooted connection with the Holy See”.
“We in Ireland very much look forward to maintaining and deepening that relationship with Pope Leo, as we continue to share and work together on the project of fostering dialogue and understanding between peoples and nations,” said President Higgins.
Born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost, Leo was elected by fellow cardinals on 8 May to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Many observers were surprised at the choice of an American.
Pope Leo, prior to his elevation, criticised US President Donald Trump’s administration over its harsh rhetoric and approach to immigration. He also responded critically to Vance’s interpretation of his adopted religion.
When Marco Rubio was asked about the pontiff’s calls for compassion toward migrants, he said: “I understand there’s this temptation to cover the papacy as a political office.”
“It is not a political office. It is a spiritual office.
“I would argue there’s nothing compassionate about mass migration. There’s nothing compassionate about open borders that allows people to be trafficked here,” Rubio said.
Other notable guests expected include Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky – who memorably met Trump in St Peter’s Basilica at Francis’s funeral – and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Argentine President Javier Milei, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Colombia’s Gustavo Petro and a host of European royals are also due to attend.
Italian authorities have deployed thousands of security officers for the event, alongside snipers on rooftops and anti-drone operations.
Fisherman’s ring
Leo XIV was elected the 267th pope on 8 May after a secret conclave vote of cardinals that lasted less than 24 hours.
Succeeding the charismatic but impulsive Francis, he takes over a Church still battling the fall-out of the clerical child abuse scandal, and trying to adapt to the modern world.
Modernity is not the concern on Sunday, however.
Although no pope has been crowned during an inauguration mass since Paul VI in 1963, the event is still a grand affair steeped in tradition.
Leo will begin by visiting the tomb of Saint Peter – who in the Christian tradition was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, and the first pope – which is located under the altar of the basilica that bears his name.
Leo will then receive the pontifical emblems – the pallium and the fisherman’s ring, which is forged anew for each pope and which he will wear on his finger until he dies, when it will be destroyed.
With other cardinals and clergy, the pope will walk in procession into St Peter’s Square, where large screens will display the proceedings to the gathered crowds.
At the end of the ceremony, the pope will greet the delegations of heads of state – although it is not clear yet if any of them will also be accorded a one-to-one private audience.