Pope Leo XIV officially begins his papacy with an inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square
The liturgy is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in Rome, 3 a.m. Central Time. The pontiff made history earlier this month when he was elected to be the first American pope in the church's 2,000-year history.
Dignitaries and faith leaders from across the globe plan to attend, including Vice President JD Vance, who will lead the U.S. delegation. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, is expected to be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Catholic, and second lady Usha Vance. Other international leaders on the guest list include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Pope Leo XIV's friends, Catholic faithful from Chicago travel to the Vatican for his inaugural MassThe event typically starts with a new pontiff taking a ride through St. Peter's Square in the popemobile, a vehicle specially designed to transport the pope for public appearances and to allow him to be visible while still protected, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The liturgy commences inside St. Peter's Basilica, where the new pope — joined by the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches — will descend to the tomb of St. Peter and pause for prayer, according to the Vatican. The site also will be censed, the liturgical act of swinging a container holding burning incense.
Several symbols of the papacy will be conferred on the new pope: One is the pallium, a white shawl of lamb's wool evoking 'the image of the good shepherd who lays the lost sheep on his shoulders,' according to Vatican News. Another is the Fisherman's Ring, also known as the Piscatory Ring, which represents the pope's connection to St. Peter, a Jewish fisherman and Apostle who became the first pope. The ring is smashed or broken after a pontiff's death.
Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955.
Raised in south suburban Dolton, he was the youngest of three brothers in a close-knit Catholic family. They attended the now-closed St. Mary of the Assumption on the Far South Side, where he went to school and sang in the choir.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, described Prevost as an attentive listener and hard worker, traits he ascribed to his Chicago-area roots.
'I think he learned that in Chicago,' Cupich said during a phone interview with the Tribune. 'The culture on the South Side of Chicago — and Chicago generally — is that we are people who are loyal and hard workers. We are people who love our families and our faith. And I think that shaped him.'
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