Leo XIV: I was chosen without having any merit and, with fear and climbing, I come to you as a brother

Pope Leo XIV said that in the conclave he was chosen “without having any merit”, while appearing to the world “like a brother” at the Mass with which he began his pontificate and in which he claimed a united church and missionary mission that does not locate himself.

“I was chosen without having any merit and, with fear and trepidation, I come before you as a brother who wants to get a servant of your faith and joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, who loves us all united in a single family,” said the pontiff.

The ceremony started at the altar of the confession, located in the center of the Basilica of San Pedro in the Vatican, where the Baldaquino de Gian Lorenzo Bernini is erected. Pope Leo XIV descended along the stairs along with the patriarchs of the Eastern churches to the tomb of San Pedro where he stopped in prayer for a few minutes. Then the Tropheum apostolatethe venerated monument that points to the tomb of the first Pope and stone on which Christ built his Church.

Then, Leo XIV went in procession at the altar of the celebration in the Plaza de San Pedro while the Praise Royalthe former liturgical hymn of acclamation to the new pontiff.

Nothing has been left to chance in this ceremony in which the Gospel has been proclaimed in two languages, Greek and Latin, in another symbol to express the unity of the Church and underline that Peter’s successor is the Pope of both Latin Catholics and Eastern Catholics.

Very close to the altar, the image of the Virgin of the Good Council has been placed, from the Mariano de Genazzano sanctuary, where Leo XIV moved on Saturday, May 10, on his first surprise visit, two days after being chosen.

In addition, from the door of the Basilica of San Pedro hung a flamenco tapestry, made for the Sistine Chapel from a work by Rafael Sanzio and preserved in the Vatican Museums, which represented the dialogue between Jesus and Peter after the miraculous fishing.

United church, ferment for a reconciled world

In his homily, the Pontiff marked the programmatic tone with which he will face his pontificate by highlighting that “love” and “unity” are the two dimensions of the mission that Jesus entrusted to Peter.

“I would like this to be our first great desire: a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes ferment for a reconciled world,” he said.

In this way, he regretted that in the world there is “discord” and “too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudices, fear of the different, by an economic paradigm that exploits the resources of the earth and marginalizes the poorest.”

Faced with these injustices, he claimed a church that is a “small yeast of unity, communion and fraternity.”

“We want to tell the world, with humility and joy: Look at Christ! Stead Him! Cove your word that illuminates and comforts! Listen to your love proposal to form your only family: in the only Christ we are one,” he said.

On the other hand, he also launched an ecumenical message by mentioning the Christian sister churches that “transit other religious paths.” He also cited in that open dialogue that the Church must keep those who “cultivate the concern of the search for God, with all women and men of good will, to build a new world where peace reigns.”

“This is the missionary spirit that must encourage us, without locking us in our small group or feeling superior to the world; we are called to offer God’s love to all, so that that unity that does not cancel the differences, but values ​​the personal history of each one and the social and religious culture of each people,” Hearts “and made us feel” like sheep who have no shepherd. “

“Precisely on Easter Day we received his last blessing and, in the light of the resurrection, we face that moment with the certainty that the Lord never abandons his people, brings him together when he is scattered and takes care of him as a shepherd to his flock,” he said.

Know how to face questions, concerns and challenges today

Thus he recalled the spirit of faith with which the cardinals met for the conclave, arriving with “personal stories and different paths” to choose the new successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome. And he made it clear that they looked for a pastor “capable of guarding the rich heritage of the Christian faith and, at the same time, of looking beyond, to know how to face the questions, the concerns and the challenges of today.”

In this sense, Pope Leo XIV valued the choice process that concluded on May 8, with which “the different musical instruments, vibrating the strings of our heart in a single melody” were harmonized.

On the other hand, he stressed that Pedro and the first disciples, after the resurrection, corresponds to the mission of “not stop launching the network to immerse the hope of the Gospel in the waters of the world.”

“How can Peter carry out this task?” Asked the pontiff before verifying that they can do so, especially those who “have experienced in their own life the infinite and unconditional love of God, even in the hour of failure and denial.”

“Therefore, when it is Jesus who addresses Peter, the Gospel uses the Greek verb agapao – which refers to the love that God has for us, to his surrender without reservations or calculations -, different from the verb used for Peter’s response, which instead describes the love of friendship, which we exchange between us,” he said.

Evangelizing is never “catching others with submission”

In this way, he made it clear that evangelization is not “never to catch others with submission, with religious propaganda or with the means of power” but “always and only” consists of “loving how Jesus did.”

“Peter’s Ministry is marked precisely by this oblative love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ,” he added

At another time, he also made clear his intentions to govern the Church in a synodal way. Although he did not refer to this concept, he insisted that thanks to the sacrament of baptism we are called to “build the building of God in fraternal communion, in the harmony of the spirit, in the coexistence of differences.”

“If the stone is Christ, Peter must feed the flock without ever giving up the temptation to be a lonely leader or a boss who is above others, becoming the owner of the people who have been confident; on the contrary, he is asked to serve the faith of his brothers, walking along with them,” he explained.

In the homily he also summoned his predecessor Leo XIII and his encyclical Of the revolutionary that laid the foundations of the social doctrine of the Church. Under this premise, he urged to build a church “founded on the love of God and a sign of unity, a missionary church, which opens the arms to the world, which announces the word, which is questioned about history, and which becomes a ferment of Concord for humanity.”

“Together, as a single people, all as brothers, let’s walk towards God and love each other,” he said.

Fisherman and Palio Ring

One of the most exciting moments of the ceremony has been when Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pre-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and one of the most outstanding figures of the Church in Asia, has delivered the fisherman’s ring, symbol of the pontifical authority and the link with the apostle Peter, first bishop of Rome.

These past days, Pope Leo XIV has used his cardinal episcopal ring. However, today it has appeared with bare hands. This ring, which is recorded by its name, symbolizes its mission as the successor of the apostle Peter. Formerly it was used as a seal to authenticate pontifical documents.

He had previously received the Palio, a liturgical distinctive of the Metropolitan Archbishops and, in the case of the Pope, a symbol of his universal pastoral authority, from Cardinal Mario Zenari, Nuncio in Syria since 2008.

Initially, it was planned in the misal disseminated by the Vatican that the Palio was delivered by Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Protodiácono. However, he could not do it for suffering a health problem, such and confirmed the Vatican press office to ACI Press.

According to Vatican data, more than 150,000 faithful gathered in the Plaza de San Pedro this Sunday for the solemn celebration with which a new era in the Church has started.

They also participated 156 Delegationsfrom Albania to Zimbabue. The ceremony was attended by European royalty and with leaders from all over the world. The US president Donald Trump, who was three weeks ago in the front row at the funeral of Pope Francis, delegated the representation to his vice president JD Vance and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, both Catholics.

In the first row was also the Peruvian president Dina Boluarte, for the dual American and Peruvian nationality of Robert Prevost, who was a bishop of Chiclayo and was more than 20 years as a missionary in the South American country.

Before the Mass, Pope Leo XIV toured in Papamóvil the vicinity of the Plaza de San Pedro before the surprise and stupor of the pilgrims who have been crowded in the nearest streets to follow the pontificate’s Mass. A gesture with which he wanted to show his closeness to people.