On the morning of May 18, in St. Peter's Square, a ceremony of Initial Mass of the Pontificate of Leo XIV. Before 150 official delegations, representatives of other religions and Christian confessions, and some 150,000 faithful, the Pope preached a homily that seems to be the program of his recently inaugurated magisterium: "I would like this to be our first great desire: a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world".
Faced with a time in which "we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of what is different, by an economic paradigm that exploits the earth's resources and marginalizes the poorest", he expressed how the Church wishes to be "a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity".
First ride in the popemobile
Although the Mass at the beginning of the Petrine ministry began at 10 a.m., an hour earlier, around 9 a.m., Pope Leo made his first tour of the square in the popemobile, reaching the end of Via della Conciliazione. The crowd accompanied him with great enthusiasm and shouts of "Long live the Pope" and "Leone!
He then descended to the tomb of the Apostle Peter, in the heart of the Vatican Basilica, accompanied by the Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches. There he paused for a few minutes in prayer. The faithful followed everything on the screens installed in the square and at various points in the adjacent streets.
Two deacons then took the pallium, the ring and the Gospel, and went in procession to the altar of the celebration, in the atrium located in St. Peter's Square. As the Pope entered the atrium, amidst the applause of those present, the choir sang the "Laudes Regiæ"., a litanic prayer in which the intercession of the canonized Popes, martyrs and saints of various centuries is invoked.
A tapestry depicting the scene of the second miraculous catch of fish hung from the central door of the basilica. The dialogue between the risen Jesus and Peter was also the Gospel passage read at Mass. Next to the altar was placed the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, which came from the Marian shrine of Genazzano, guarded by the Augustinian Fathers. The Pope is very devoted to this image and went to visit it two days after his election.
Imposition of the pallium and ring
After the rite of blessing and sprinkling of holy water, and the proclamation of the Word of God, a moment of great symbolic value took place: the imposition of the pallium and the presentation of the fisherman's ring. The pontiff was accompanied by three cardinals from three orders and three continents: Mario Zenari, Italian, who gave him the pallium - symbol of the mission of shepherding the Church and of Christ as the Paschal lamb; Fridolin Ambongo, from Congo, who made a petition to the Holy Spirit for the new Pope; and Luis Antonio Tagle, from the Philippines, who gave him the fisherman's ring.
This moment concluded with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, and then Leo XIV blessed the assembly with the Book of the Gospels, while the Greek chanted: "For many years to come! The Pope responded with a touching smile - the same one we saw a week ago when he first appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's as soon as he was elected - and the people present joined in with a round of applause.
The ceremony continued with the rite of "obedience" rendered to the Pope by 12 representatives of the people of God: Cardinals Frank Leo (Canada), Jaime Spengler (Brazil) and John Ribat (Papua New Guinea); the Bishop of Callao (Peru), Luis Alberto Barrera Pacheco; a priest and a deacon; two religious: Oonah O'Shea, an Australian missionary in the Philippines, superior general of the religious of Notre Dame de Sion and president of the International Union of Superiors General; and the superior general of the Jesuits, Venezuelan Arturo Sosa, as president of the male congregations. The laity were represented by a married couple and two young people, all from Peru.
With fear and trepidation
In his homily, Leo XIV began by quoting some famous words of St. Augustine, written in the "Confessions": "You have made us for yourself [Lord], and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. The Pope used these words to express the feelings that have overwhelmed the Church in the last month, "particularly intense" since the death of his predecessor: "The death of the Pope Francis’ has filled our hearts with sadness and, in those difficult hours, we have felt like those crowds that the Gospel describes 'like sheep without a shepherd'".
He then referred to the conclave, where the college of cardinals met "in a spirit of faith" and in which he was voted as the successor of Peter to lead the Church. With great simplicity, he said: "I was elected without any merit and, with fear and trepidation, I come to you as a brother who wants to become a servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God's love, who wants us all united in a single family".
Peter's mission: love and unity
Commenting on the readings of the Mass, the Pope broke down the essential characteristics of the pontiff's ministry: "Love and unity: these are the two dimensions of the mission that Jesus entrusted to Peter". And he added: "How can Peter carry out this task? The Gospel tells us that it is possible only because he has experienced in his own life the infinite and unconditional love of God, even in the hour of failure and denial".
"To Peter," he continued, "is entrusted the task of 'loving even more' and of giving his life for the flock. Peter's ministry is marked precisely by this oblative love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and her true authority is the charity of Christ." Therefore, "it is never a matter of trapping others with submission, with religious propaganda or with the means of power, but it is always and only a matter of loving as Jesus did".
In the presence of various "sister Christian churches," Leo XIV made a strong appeal for unity and communion. He also had a few words for those who seek God and for "all women and men of good will", inviting them to "build a new world where peace reigns". The request for peace was once again met with resounding applause.
"This is," the Pope pointed out, "the missionary spirit that should animate us, without closing ourselves up in our own little group or feeling superior to the world; we are called to offer God's love to all, so that this unity that does not cancel out differences, but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of each people, may be realized."
His preaching ended with the exclamation: "Brothers, sisters, this is the hour of love!" and a quote from "Rerum Novarum", written by the pontiff who inspired the choice of his name: "With my predecessor Leo XIII, today we can ask ourselves: if this charity prevailed in the world, 'would it not seem that every struggle would soon be extinguished wherever it came into force in civil society?'"
Petition for peace
The ceremony proceeded normally. Before the final blessing, Pope Leo XIV again addressed a few words to the assembly. He thanked the "Romans and faithful from so many parts of the world" for their presence, with a special greeting "to the thousands of pilgrims who have come from every continent on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Confraternities". To them he said: "Dear brothers and sisters, I thank you for keeping alive the great heritage of popular piety". And he commented, opening his heart: "During the Mass I strongly felt the spiritual presence of Pope Francis, who accompanies us from Heaven".
There was also a thought for "our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of the wars. In Gaza, children, families and elderly survivors are going hungry. In Myanmar, new hostilities have destroyed innocent lives. The tormented Ukraine awaits at last negotiations for a just and lasting peace."
Before the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Leo XIV entrusted "to Mary the service of the Bishop of Rome, Pastor of the universal Church", and concluded: "Let us implore through her intercession the gift of peace, help and consolation for those who suffer and, for all of us, the grace to be witnesses of the Risen Lord".
