From St. Peter’s Square, the Mass of Inauguration of the Pontificate of Pope Leo XIV was held, along with the recitation of the Regina Caeli prayer.

Ten days after his election, Pope Leo XIV presided over the ceremonial Mass on Sunday in the Vatican, marking the beginning of his pontificate, attended by tens of thousands of Catholics and foreign leaders, including U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.

This Mass, which began at 10 a.m. local time (8 a.m. GMT) in St. Peter’s Square in Rome under tight security, officially marks the start of the papacy of the first American Pope in the two-thousand-year history of the Catholic Church.

Symbolic Papal Vestments

Robert Francis Prevost, who was elected on May 8 after a closed 24-hour conclave of cardinals, received the two traditional papal symbols during the ceremony:

- The pallium, a white woolen stole placed over the pope’s priestly vestments, symbolizing his pastoral duty to shepherd the faithful.

- The Fisherman’s Ring, which is given to every new Pope and destroyed upon his death, signifying the end of his pontificate.