Pope Leo XIV leads inauguration mass attended by JD Vance, Rubio

Pope Leo XIV, with his cardinals and clergy, walks in procession through the Basilica and into St. Peter’s Square, where tens of thousands are standing in silent prayer as he emerges.

The pallium and Fisherman’s Ring, brought up from the crypt, are carried with them. The procession is shrouded in incense, a symbol of the faithful’s prayers rising up to God.

Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass is now underway as he descends to pray at St. Peter’s tomb inside the Basilica.

JD Vance and his wife Usha could be seen walking into St. Peter’s Square about 10 minutes before the mass was due to start at 10 a.m. local time.

His motorcade arrived at the Vatican along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife, Jeanette Rubio.

Nico Zanarini, 27, converted to Catholicism this year and said he was “buzzing” thinking about seeing the pope.

He came from an earlier mass this morning at St. Augustine Church, straight to St. Peter’s Square, saying he “couldn’t miss it,” and that it was “God’s plan” for him to be here in Rome.

Zanarini said it was surreal the pope is American, and believes Catholicism in America will only grow because of it.

Diplomacy is at the sidelines, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Saturday with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Vatican’s peace envoy, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

Rubio thanked the Holy See for its willingness to be involved in the peace process and said the Vatican could be a potential venue for Russia-Ukraine talks, as it’s “certainly a place where I think both sides would be comfortable coming.”

Rubio also met with Vatican officials including Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States.

Pope Leo XIV has entered St Peter’s Square where thousands of people have gathered to greet him. People are cheering and waving as he weaves his way through the masses.

There are flags from all over the world being held aloft, including, Colombia, Nigeria, Honduras, Venezuela, and his native United States.

Pope Leo XIV also holds Peruvian citizenship, and there are dozens of Peruvian flags in the crowd too.

Pope Leo XIV is standing in the back of his popemobile, smiling and waving to crowds lining the streets as he is driven slowly towards St. Peter’s Square.

Tens of thousands of people have gathered in the streets to catch a glimpse of the new pope, with some trying their best to run alongside the vehicle to get a second look.

JD Vance visited the tomb of Pope Francis at the Basilica of St. Mary Major yesterday.

“He was beloved by many Catholics around the world, and I hope you will join me in praying for the repose of his soul,” Vance posted on X, alongside photos of the tomb.

Vance briefly met with Pope Francis on Easter, the day before he died.

The eyes of the world are fixed on Vatican City today ahead of the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.

In St. Peter’s Square, thousands of faithful and dignitaries are set to assemble to witness the timeless ceremony. The new Pope will receive the Fisherman’s ring and the pallium, emblems of his religious authority and role as shepherd of the Catholic Church.

The Pontiff is expected to deliver a message centered on peace and unity with world leaders including Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy among the attendees. 

More than 150 international delegations are set to attend the ceremony, including monarchs, presidents and ministers. The largest delegations are being sent by the pope’s home countries, Peru and the United States.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are leading the U.S. delegation. Vance, who is Catholic, met briefly with Pope Francis shortly before his death last month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to attend, as well as Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, will attend representing King Charles III.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims and religious leaders are also expected to fill St. Peter’s Square.

The Fisherman’s Ring is a signet ring presented to a new pope at his inauguration, as a symbol of his episcopal authority and as the successor of St. Peter, the fisherman apostle and the first pope, who began his papacy around the year 30.

When Pope Francis died, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, took control of the ring. Traditionally, the ring was ceremonially smashed to symbolize the end of a papacy.

Rev. David Collins, an associate professor and the director of Catholic studies at Georgetown University, said the original purpose of destroying the ring was “to prevent forgery and ensure that nobody used the papal ring to seal a false document,”

Ahead of Leo’s inauguration, a new ring will have been struck bearing his name surrounding the image of St. Peter casting a fishing net.

As the first Catholic pope from the United States, Pope Leo XIV has an ancestry that traces back to the Creole and free people of color from Louisiana, illustrating complex and interconnected issues of race and class in American history.

The Creole community emerged in Louisiana due to the blending of cultures there. French, Native American, Spanish, German and descendants of West African countries all cohabitated in the region during the pre-colonial era when France and Spain owned the Louisiana territory.

“His rise is not just a religious milestone, it’s a historical affirmation,” genealogist and former official Louisiana state archivist Alex DaPaul Lee said of the man previously known as Cardinal Robert Prevost.

In terms of how Pope Leo’s family ended up in Illinois, Lee said his family was likely part of the hundreds of other Louisiana Creoles who migrated north during the first wave of the Great Migration in the early 1900s.

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