Inauguration of Pope Leo: Date for Mass Set
The newly elected Pope Leo XIV will be officially inaugurated as the head of the Roman Catholic Church on May 18. The Vatican announced this on Friday. The solemn service is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. in St. Peter's Square. As with his predecessors, several dozen heads of state and government, as well as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and tourists from around the world, are expected to attend.
Mass for the Inauguration the Sunday after next
As part of the inauguration, Leo XIV will also receive the papal insignia according to Kathpress: the woolen pallium and the fisherman's ring. The previously customary ceremony of the Pope's enthronement was abolished by John Paul I (1978). In its place is the first Mass with the cardinals, which the Pope already celebrated today, Friday, in the Sistine Chapel. For tomorrow, Saturday, the Prefecture of the Papal Household has announced a meeting of Leo XIV with all the cardinals.
On Sunday at 12 p.m., the 267th Bishop of Rome will hold his first public midday prayer (known as "Regina Coeli" during the Easter season) on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica. On Monday (10:00 a.m.), a meeting with media representatives from around the world will follow in the Vatican audience hall, and on the next Friday (May 16), one with the ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.
Date for General Audience with Pope Leo
The first general audience with Pope Leo XIV will take place on May 21. On May 24, there will be a meeting with the Roman Curia and the employees of the Vatican City State.
Already on May 20, the new church leader will symbolically take possession of the papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. For Sunday, May 21, another midday prayer and the celebration for the taking possession of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore are planned.
Leo XIV will also symbolically take possession of his Roman cathedral church, San Giovanni in Laterano, on May 21 during a service. The papal Lateran Basilica is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome.
(APA/Red)
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