SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
By David Crowe
Vatican City: The faithful came in their thousands to see Pope Leo XIV begin his work as one of the world’s most powerful spiritual leaders, in a ceremony that combined ancient symbols and modern statecraft.
Waiting since dawn, patiently and sometimes joyfully, the onlookers crowded into the square, where Robert Prevost, the son of a school superintendent and a librarian, was elevated to the papacy to lead 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
Pope Leo XIV on his popemobile tours St Peter’s Square at the Vatican prior to his inauguration Mass. Credit: AP
Deepest of all the symbolism was Pope Leo’s visit to a tomb before the inauguration Mass to venerate the bones of St Peter – the bishop of Rome almost two millennia ago.
The crowds began taking their seats in the square soon after dawn, on a warm morning in Rome under blue skies.
Joining the faithful were national leaders, who networked before the Mass in their places at the front of the inauguration, proving the diplomatic reach of the Vatican.
US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat in the same area as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Union President Ursula von der Leyen and Prince Edward, representing King Charles.
Zelensky and Vance shook hands – more than two months after the US vice president berated the Ukrainian president in the White House.
Behind the scenes at the Mass, Rubio has spoken of the Vatican as a possible third party to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, highlighting the potential for the new Pope to become a trusted broker between states.
The informal talks before the Mass gave Prime Minister Anthony Albanese time to speak with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and others.
He met the Pope soon after the mass, shaking hands briefly along with other leaders within the Vatican.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets Pope Leo XIV.Credit: Vatican
Albanese is due to meet Zelensky and von der Leyen in separate talks after the mass, as the ceremony gives way to an informal leadership gathering in Rome.
The Vatican said the Pope would meet with Zelensky the same afternoon.
The pontiff took his first Popemobile ride through St Peter’s Square ahead of the Mass, waving from the back of the all-electric open-back Mercedes truck to the crowd waving flags and cheering “Viva il Papa!”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives for the inauguration Mass for Pope Leo XIV at Vatican City.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, and US Vice President J.D. Vance greet each other as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, centre, looks on. Credit: AP
The bells of St Peter’s Basilica tolled as Pope Leo waved from the back of the truck that looped slowly through the square. The crowd cheered, with some waving Peruvian, American and Holy See flags – in recognition that the Pope, born in Chicago, had served as a bishop in Peru for more than two decades.
While the funeral Mass for Pope Francis was a sombre ceremony on April 26, the inauguration of Leo began as a celebration for a new and – by all signs – popular Pope. Worshippers from around the world sang, waved national flags and mingled while they waited for the service to begin.
The Mass filled St Peter’s Square, which has a capacity of about 80,000 people, and the crowd spilt into the streets beyond. The Vatican estimated 150,000 gathered for the Mass.
In a homily broadcast around the world, Pope Leo criticised the global economic system and said it “exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest”.
He emphasised love as the mission of the church, contrasting this with trying to capture others by force, religious propaganda or power.
He said he would govern “without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat” and acknowledged the decision by the College of Cardinals to choose him to lead the church.
“I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother,” he said.
Pope Leo, born in Chicago in 1955, became the first North American to be made pontiff when the College of Cardinals elected him on May 8 to succeed Pope Francis, the first South American pontiff.
Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli, in Rome for the inaugural Mass, said the reaction to Leo suggested that his first message had resonated with people around the world, including Australians.
“People of all kinds see Pope Leo as a leader of the world – not just for Catholics,” he told this masthead.
Pope Leo XIV’s popemobile. Credit: AP
One example, he said, was the way Pope Leo spoke of new issues for humanity such as artificial intelligence, confronting ethical questions over the new technology.
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher, also in Rome, described the new Pope as someone who wanted to ease differences between people.
“I think he’s a very centred and centrist Pope, and I think there’s been lots of signs of that already,” he said.
“He’s centred on Christ. That’s his big message, again and again, about what Christ brings. I think he’s not going to be one to provoke storms. He’ll be much more one to pour oil on troubled waters.
Pope Leo XIV’s holds Mass during his formal inauguration.Credit: AP
“In a very divided world, in a polarised culture and politics, he’s going to be one for bringing people together. I think you see that in his messages so far, and I think that is very much his personality, too.”
Pope Leo prepared for the Mass by receiving a vestment known as a pallium to signify his elevation to the papacy. Shaped in a white band and woven from wool, the pallium is seen as a symbol of the lamb Jesus carried on his shoulders, and the role of the pope as the shepherd of the faithful.
The previous pontiff, Pope Francis, described the pallium as a symbol of those the shepherd looked after.
In one of the most important moments during the Mass, Leo received the Fisherman’s ring, signifying the role of St Peter and all later popes as the “fishers of men” in church tradition.
Pope Leo XIV wearing the “Fisherman’s ring” made for him as a sign of his office. Credit: AP
While Pope Francis departed from custom by choosing a silver ring, the Vatican distributed images of the ring for Pope Leo showing St Peter on a gold background.
Unseen by those in the square, Pope Leo prepared for the Mass by descending to the foundations of St Peter’s Basilica to venerate the bones of St Peter, who was put to death by the Romans in AD 68 because of his faith.
Archaeological work at St Peter’s Basilica uncovered more of the necropolis beneath the building in the 1950s and 1960s, leading to the discovery of the bones of a man aged in his 60s. Pope Paul VI said in 1968 that these were the remains of St Peter.
Well-wishers with an American flag before the Mass.Credit: Getty Images
There is no coronation for the pope, but there has traditionally been a recognition that he is a head of state, given Vatican City is the world’s smallest country.
The last pontiff to be crowned as a king was Pope Paul VI in 1963, who wore the “triple tiara” to represent the three roles of the pontiff as father of kings, governor of the world and vicar of Christ.
The crowds during the Mass. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Pope Paul was given the tiara, which featured pierced silver and three gold bands set with precious gems, by the people of Milan. But he set it aside as a symbolic gift to the poor one year after his papacy began. No pope has been crowned since.
The Mass ended with sustained applause across St Peter’s square as Leo XIV returned to the Vatican, confirmed in office with the Fisherman’s ring. His next duty was to speak with leaders from an estimated 150 countries, ranging from presidents to princes. One by one, he shook their hands.
With Reuters
