VATICAN CITY -– Pope Leo XIV officially began his pontificate on Sunday, May 18, 2025, with an inaugural mass at St. Peter’s Square, delivering a powerful message of unity, love and mission before a crowd of over 100,000 pilgrims, dignitaries and religious leaders.
According to the report of the Vatican News, the ceremony marked a historic moment for the Catholic Church, drawing representatives from various Christian denominations and major world religions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism and Jainism.
Expressing deep gratitude for the prayers and support he received following the death of Pope Francis, Leo said the Church felt “like sheep without a shepherd.”
“Following the death of Pope Francis, we felt like sheep without a shepherd,” he recalled, “yet having received his final blessing on Easter Sunday, and with eyes of faith, hope and joy, we remembered how the Lord never abandons His people,” highlighting the guidance of the Holy Spirit during the recent conclave that elected him.
“I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling,” said Pope Leo, “I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family.”
He emphasized that the mission of the papacy is rooted in self-giving love, not in power or dominance, and called on the faithful to embrace the example of Jesus in serving others.
“The Church’s authority is the charity of Christ. It is always about loving as Jesus did,” he said.
Addressing global challenges such as violence, inequality and environmental degradation, Pope Leo urged the Church to be a sign of communion and peace and to work with all people of goodwill to build a reconciled world.
“In the face of a world marked by so much discord and wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear and economic reality that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world.”
“We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his offer of love and become his one family: in the one Christ, we are one,” he urged.
“This is the path to follow together, among ourselves but also with our sister Christian churches, with those who follow other religious paths, with those who are searching for God, with all women and men of good will, in order to build a new world where peace reigns!” he added.
The pope concluded by calling for a missionary Church that opens its arms to the world, rooted in unity and driven by compassion.
Meanwhile, the pope also met with US Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican on Monday, May 19, ahead of a flurry of US-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Vance had led the US delegation to the formal mass opening the pontificate of the first American pope.
“There was an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” according to a Vatican statement after their meeting.
The Vatican listed Vance’s delegation as the first of several private audiences Leo was having Monday with people who had come to Rome for his inaugural mass, including other Christian leaders and a group of faithful from his old diocese in Chiclayo, Peru.
The Vatican, which was largely sidelined during the first three years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has offered to host any peace talks while continuing humanitarian efforts to facilitate prisoner swaps and reunite Ukrainian children taken by Russia. / Vatican News / PNA