VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV, Chicago-born Robert Prevost, was put in Sunday as the primary American pope.
He vowed to work for unity in order that the Catholic church turns into an indication of peace on the planet, providing a message of communion throughout an inaugural mass in St. Peter’s Sq. earlier than an estimated 200,000 pilgrims, presidents, patriarchs and princes.
Leo formally opened his preach by taking his first popemobile tour by the piazza, a ceremony of passage that has turn out to be synonymous with the papacy’s world attain. The 69-year-old Augustinian missionary smiled and waved from the again of the truck.
Many mates and colleagues from Prevost’s time in Chicago and elsewhere have been available for his set up, and others traveled from all over the world to be there.
As Leo pulled into view, standing within the popemobile because it pulled in to St. Peter’s Sq. shortly after 9 a.m. Rome time Sunday, cheers went up from members of his non secular order, the Augustinians, many from the Chicago space, who have been seated close to the entrance of the sq. beneath the principle liturgical stage.
“Augustinian!” some shouted.
Others stood on chairs craning their necks for a greater view, holding up cellphones and cameras.
The Rev. John Lydon, 69, who lives in Hyde Park and was the pope’s roommate for a decade in Peru, stood on his chair, dealing with away from St. Peter’s Basilica, his eyes educated on his outdated good friend. His lips moved as if in prayer.
When Pope Leo handed by within the popemobile, like many of the Augustinians round him, the Rev. Homero Sánchez, pastor of Chicago’s St. Rita of Cascia parish, stood and cheered. However then he sat down, the black hood or capuche of his liturgical gown pulled over his head to guard it from the blazing Roman solar. He appeared like he was praying.
When requested if he was nervous about his good friend, who he has recognized since 2008, he mentioned, merely: “No.”
What was Sanchez’ prayer for the pope?
“That he could be open to the Holy Spirit,” he mentioned after the set up ended. “He’s the pope, however he’s our brother, so after all I’m going to hope for him every single day.”
Susan Hanssen, a professor who was born in Chicago and simply arrived in Rome to show, mentioned she thought Leo’s homily of unity would resonate in america and past.
“I feel he’ll encourage,” Hanssen mentioned after the inaugural mass. “What I significantly cherished was the phrasing — unity inside the doctrine of the religion after which in love.”
Gregory and Susan Hudak, who lived for 40 years within the Chicago space, discovered themselves in Rome after reserving a visit in February, with only a faint hope of maybe glimpsing the pope. Seeing the popemobile go in entrance of them, with the Leo on board, was even higher than watching Michael Jordan play, mentioned Gregory Hudak, a former altar boy sporting a Bears hat.
“Initially, the one hope I had coming right here was to see the within of the Sistine Chapel,” Hudak mentioned. “Seeing the pope was not scheduled. It was a protracted shot hope. And this was a treasure, easy as that.”
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In the course of the mass, Leo appeared to choke up when the 2 potent symbols of the papacy have been positioned on him — the lambswool stole over his shoulders and the fisherman’s ring on his finger — as if the load of duty of main the 1.4 billion-strong church had simply sunk in.
He turned his hand to take a look at the ring and seal, then clasped his fingers in entrance of him in prayer.
Vice President JD Vance, one of many final overseas officers to see Pope Francis earlier than he died, led the U.S. delegation honoring Leo after paying his respects on the Argentine pope’s tomb upon arriving in Rome late Saturday.
In his homily, Leo mentioned he wished to be a servant to the trustworthy by the 2 dimensions of the papacy, love and unity, in order that the church may very well be a drive for peace on the planet.
“I would really like that our first nice need be for a united church, an indication of unity and communion, which turns into a leaven for a reconciled world,” he mentioned. “On this our time, we nonetheless see an excessive amount of discord, too many wounds attributable to hatred, violence, prejudice, the concern of distinction and an financial paradigm that exploits the Earth’s assets and marginalises the poorest.”
His name for unity was vital, given the polarization within the Catholic church in america and past.
Francis’ 12-year preach, which emphasised take care of the poor and marginalized and disdain for the capitalist financial system, usually alienated conservatives and traditionalists.
Leo’s Could 8 election by the School of Cardinals, after a remarkably fast 24-hour conclave, seems to have happy conservative Catholics who appear to understand his extra disciplined, conventional fashion and Augustinian background, emphasizing core truths of Catholic doctrine.
Leo drove that message house by sporting the formal pink cape of the papacy, or mozzetta, to obtain Vance and official authorities delegations within the basilica.
Francis had eschewed lots of the formalities of the papacy as a part of his easy fashion. However Leo’s return to the normal garb has happy conservatives and traditionalists who cheered when he got here out of the loggia after the conclave sporting the pink cape.
“Allow us to construct a church based on God’s love, an indication of unity, a missionary church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the phrase, permits itself to be made stressed by historical past and turns into a leaven of concord for humanity,” Leo mentioned Sunday, making reference to a number of the themes of Francis’ preach, as effectively.
Strict diplomatic protocol dictated the seating preparations on the mass, with each america and Peru getting front-row seats due to Leo’s twin citizenship.
Vance, a Catholic convert who tangled with Francis over the Trump administration’s mass migrant deportation plans, was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Rome forward of time to attempt to advance Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
President Dina Boluarte of Peru was one among a few dozen heads of state attending, as was Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia had deliberate to ship its tradition minister however was represented by its ambassador, stories mentioned.
Diplomatic protocol additionally dictated the costume code: Whereas most wore black, the handful of Catholic queens and princesses — Letizia of Spain and Charlene of Monaco, amongst others — wore white in a particular privilege allowed them.
Three dozen of the world’s different Christian church buildings despatched their very own delegations. The Jewish neighborhood had a 13-member delegation, half of them rabbis. Different representatives headed Buddhist, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Hindu, Sikh and Jain delegations.
Safety was tight, because it was for Francis’ funeral on April 26, which drew an estimated 250,000 folks. The Vatican mentioned 200,000 have been available Sunday within the piazza and surrounding streets, parks and piazzas, the place big tv screens and transportable bathrooms have been arrange.
On the finish of the mass, Leo expressed hope for negotiations to carry a “simply and lasting peace” in Ukraine and provided prayers for the folks of Gaza — kids, households and aged who’re “decreased to starvation,” he mentioned. Leo made no point out of hostages taken by Hamas from southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, as Francis normally did when praying for Gaza.
Amongst those that got here to see the brand new pope, U.S. seminarian Ethan Menning, 21, from Omaha, Nebraska, wrapped himself in an American flag, bought at a truck cease in Iowa, to rejoice.
“Rome all the time felt like house for a Catholic, however now coming right here and seeing one among our personal on the throne of Peter … it virtually makes Jesus himself extra accessible,” he mentioned.
The 2 symbols of the papacy handed to Leo have been the pallium stole and the fisherman’s ring. The pallium, draped throughout his shoulders, symbolizes the pastor carrying his flock because the pope carries the trustworthy. The ring, which turns into Leo’s official seal, harkens again to Jesus’ name to the apostle Peter to forged his fishing nets.
The opposite symbolically essential second of the mass was the representational ceremony of obedience to Leo. Previously, all cardinals would vow obedience to the brand new pope, however newer papal installations contain representatives of cardinals, bishops, clergymen, deacons, nuns, married {couples} and younger folks collaborating within the ceremony.
Leo additionally has recognized the challenges to humanity posed by synthetic intelligence, making the parallel to the challenges to human dignity posed by the commercial revolution that have been confronted by his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, who was pope from 1878 to 1903.
Since he was elected pontiff, there was a highlight on the pope’s south suburban hometown of Dolton, his boyhood house and the church his household attended.
The Catholic Theological Union on the South Aspect — the place the pope studied — has additionally been introduced into the limelight, and several other CTU officers and alums have been in attendance Sunday.
Nicole Winfield is AP faith author. Cathleen Falsani was the Solar-Occasions faith reporter and columnist from 2000-2010.
