On Sunday, May 18, Pope Leo XIV will be officially installed as the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. The inauguration ceremony will celebrate this momentous achievement. He was elected to the papacy on May 8th. This came on the heels of the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis, on April 21. The inauguration period at the end of this month should be spectacular, with a global array of world leaders, royalty and legions of believers in attendance.
Born in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV is the first American pope. Yet the man you meet is a learned missionary and bishop who spent 32 years in Peru. His Latinx background and multicultural experiences inform his concerns for the church and its international calling.
The inauguration ceremony itself will be filled with dramatic rituals and symbols that embody both the authority and responsibilities about to be conferred upon him. During the event, Pope Leo XIV will be officially presented with the papal signet ring. He will be given the pallium, a lamb’s wool vestment which symbolizes pastoral care. This is a detail from a 16th-century Italian fisherman’s ring that has an image of St. Internally, it is ornately inscribed with “Leo XIV” over his coat of arms, stamping his authority as the spiritual successor of St. Peter.
As part of the ceremony, Pope Leo XIV will deliver a homily during the inauguration Mass, where he is expected to outline key themes of his pontificate. After the Mass, he will lead the Regina Caeli prayer, addressing Mary as the “Queen of Heaven.”
Personal pursuits of Pope Leo XIV reveal the complex character of the man. An avid tennis player himself, he recently sat down with Jannik Sinner, the men’s tennis number one seed. This meeting was a clear indication of his commitment to the game. It reflects his genial spirit, as he was an author who genuinely sought to connect with the young and the new.
In this, the Vatican is trying to inspire expectations in the initial period of a new pope. A Vatican spokesman emphasized the importance of “obedience” within the church’s hierarchy as it navigates challenges under Pope Leo XIV’s guidance.
