During Sunday’s Mass of Inauguration, Pope Leo XIV called for a “united Church” to promote global peace and urged the faithful to “walk towards God and love one another.” Addressing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, world leaders, and representatives from various Christian denominations, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated his Petrine Ministry with a Mass in St. Peter’s Square, where the Gospel was proclaimed in both Greek and Latin.
Arriving at the ceremony in the Popemobile, the 69-year-old American Pontiff wore traditional liturgical insignia, including the Papal Pallium—a white woolen sash symbolizing the Bishop of Rome’s role in guiding the lost, sick, and weak to the waters of life. It also honors the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was crucified for humanity’s salvation.
Leo appeared visibly moved as he received the Ring of the Fisherman from Cardinal Tagle. The ring, bearing an image of St. Peter holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven and the net used in the Miracle of the Fishes, is uniquely cast for each new pope. As the successor to St. Peter, the ring symbolizes the unbroken connection to the first papacy and the sacred responsibility to shepherd the faithful.
Leo told the hundreds of thousands gathered: “I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, 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.”
In his first public remarks following his coronation, the pontiff made a plea to traditional Catholics that won’t go over well with Democrats. He reaffirmed core Catholic teachings on marriage and abortion Friday, emphasizing that the family is founded on a “stable union between a man and a woman” and that unborn children possess inherent dignity as creations of God.
The comments are not likely to sit well with Democrats who have long supported gay marriage and abortion. By comparison, they will delight traditional Catholics, many of whom saw the late Pope Francis as far too liberal on such issues.