Leo XIV: Only a united Church can bring peace to the world

At the inaugural mass of his pontificate, before a St. Peter's Square with 250,000 faithful and world leaders such as JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelensky, Pope Leo XIV asked this Sunday that the Catholic Church be “united” and, in this way, be “leaven for a reconciled world”.

“In our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of differences, by an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest. And we want to be, within this mass, a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity,” said Leo XIV in his homily at the Mass, during which he received from the hands of the cardinals who elected him the fisherman’s ring and the pallium, two elements that symbolize the Pope’s jurisdiction over the entire Church.

Leo XIV made “unity” the main theme of his homily, an intervention that was eagerly awaited by those who wanted to understand the main programmatic lines of what would be the pontificate of Robert Francis Prevost, the first Pope from the United States, elected on May 8 to succeed Pope Francis as leader of the Catholic Church.

After Francis' pontificate, marked by a strong reformist impetus that, at times, exposed some polarization within the Catholic Church — between the wing that supported Francis' reforms (commonly classified as progressive) and the wing that resisted them, especially at times when the pontiff touched on issues such as sexual and family morality —, Leo XIV inherited a divided Church that is also a reflection of today's world, marked by the accumulation of armed conflicts, the increase in poverty and the growth of authoritarianism.

In the days leading up to the conclave that elected Francis’ successor, “unity” was one of the central themes, especially among elements of the wing usually classified as conservative , who saw in Francis’ pontificate — which wanted a Church open to all, which brought the laity into decision-making processes that were usually the province of the clergy and which opened debates on taboo subjects such as the ordination of women or the Church’s relationship with LGBT people — a driving force for disunity within the Church.

From the moment he was elected, Pope Leo XIV established himself as a peacemaker. Peace was his first word on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the time of his election. In his meeting with the cardinals the following day, he declared himself a continuator of the pontificate of Pope Francis, but also of the entire line of the Church in the 20th century, which began with the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). The choice of his name, in memory of Leo XIII, considered the father of the Social Doctrine of the Church, also carried with it a program: the need for an updated social proposal for today's world, which is now undergoing transformations as radical as those at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century.

This Sunday, Leo XIV clearly outlined his program for the Catholic Church in the coming years: only a united Church will be able to contribute with its example to pacifying a disunited world.

“This is the missionary spirit that must inspire us, without closing ourselves off in our small group or feeling superior to the world; we are called to offer God’s love to everyone, so that unity may be achieved that does not nullify differences, but values ​​the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of each people,” said the Pope, immediately after emphasizing that the Church must “tell the world, with humility and joy,” to look to the example of Jesus Christ and to contribute to building “a new world where peace reigns.”

Three great references were present in Leo XIV's speech: Pope Francis (whose memory drew a huge round of applause from the crowd present in Rome), Saint Augustine (Leo XIV was the first Augustine friar to become Pope) and Pope Leo XIII (who inspired the name chosen by the new Pope).

Leo XIV even cited the encyclical Rerum Novarum , published by Leo XIII in 1891, on the condition of workers, a document widely considered to be foundational for the Social Doctrine of the Church and for the Catholic Church's proposal for the world of work — especially marked by the strong transformations of the industrial revolution and the beginning of the 20th century: “Brothers, sisters, this is the hour of love! The charity of God, which makes us brothers, is the heart of the Gospel and, with my predecessor Leo XIII, we can ask ourselves today: 'Would not peace be established in the short term, if these teachings could prevail in society?'”

“With the light and strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a Church founded on the love of God and a sign of unity, a missionary Church that opens its arms to the world, that proclaims the Word, that allows itself to be disturbed by history and that becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity,” said Leo XIV. Rerum Novarum, already mentioned several times in recent days, will certainly be an important key to understanding the pontificate of Leo XIV and his approach to the transformations of today: in a meeting with the cardinals , the Pope warned of the need not to forget the challenges and potential of artificial intelligence, for example. This week, the Vatican news portal projected the possibility of a “ Rerum Digitalium ,” a social thought for the transformations of the digital world.

“To meet today’s questions, concerns and challenges”

At the beginning of his homily, Leo XIV began by recalling the “particularly intense times” that have been experienced in the Vatican in recent days. “The death of Pope Francis has filled our hearts with sadness and, in those difficult hours, we felt like the crowds that the Gospel says are ‘like sheep without a shepherd’,” said the Pope, to the loud applause of the faithful at the name of the Argentine pontiff.

“However, precisely on Easter Day we received his last blessing and, in the light of the resurrection, we faced this moment in the certainty that the Lord never abandons his people, but gathers them together when they are scattered and guards them ‘as a shepherd guards his flock’”, affirmed Leo XIV.

“In this spirit of faith, the College of Cardinals gathered for the Conclave,” he recalled. “Arriving with different stories and from different paths, we placed in God’s hands the desire to elect the new successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, a pastor capable of safeguarding the rich heritage of the Christian faith and, at the same time, of looking far ahead, to meet the questions, concerns and challenges of today. Accompanied by your prayers, we felt the action of the Holy Spirit, who knew how to harmonize the different musical instruments and made the strings of our hearts vibrate in a single melody.”

With this phrase, Leo XIV once again underlined his intention to build bridges in a divided Church, speaking both to those who place the focus on “preserving the rich heritage of the Christian faith” and to those who insistently ask that the Church look “far away” and at the “challenges of today”.

“I was chosen without any merit, and with fear and trembling I come to you as a brother who wishes to become a servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, who wants us all to be united in one family,” said Leo XIV, recalling that “love” and “unity” are “the two dimensions of the mission that Jesus entrusted to Peter.”

From the readings heard at the inaugural mass, all about the figure of the apostle Saint Peter — the first Pope of the Church —, Leo XIV recalled how the fisherman Peter and other disciples were called by Jesus to become “fishers of men”.

“Now, in the resurrection, it is precisely up to them to carry out this mission, to cast the net again and again, immersing the hope of the Gospel in the waters of the world, and to sail the sea of ​​life so that all may find themselves again in the embrace of God,” said Leo XIV. “How can Peter carry out this task? The Gospel tells us that this is only possible because he experienced in his own life the infinite and unconditional love of God, even in the hour of failure and denial. For this reason, when Jesus addresses Peter, the Gospel uses the Greek verb agapao , which refers to the love that God has for us, to his giving of himself without reservations or calculations, different from that used in Peter’s response, which describes the love of friendship that we cultivate among ourselves.”

“Peter, therefore, is entrusted with the task of ‘loving more’ and giving his life for the flock. Peter’s ministry is marked precisely by this self-sacrificing love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never a question of capturing others with arrogance, with religious propaganda or with the means of power, but it is always and only a question of loving as Jesus did,” added Leo XIV, who quoted Saint Augustine twice, including to say that “the Church is made up of all those who maintain harmony with their brothers and who love their neighbor.”

Pope received pallium and ring from fisherman

This Sunday's Mass formally inaugurated the pontificate of Leo XIV — and, in that sense, it was a celebration loaded with symbolism. Although it took place in St. Peter's Square, the celebration began inside the basilica, specifically next to St. Peter's tomb, where Leo XIV and the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches prayed in silence.

From there, the procession continued to St. Peter's Square, with two elements standing out: the fisherman's ring and the pallium, which were handed over to Leo XIV during the celebration.

The episcopal ring is one of the central insignia worn by bishops around the world, representing their jurisdiction as successors of the apostles. In the case of the Pope, Bishop of Rome, this ring has a particular meaning: it is the fisherman's ring, recalling the apostle Saint Peter, a fisherman who left everything to follow Jesus Christ. Leo XIV's ring bears the image of Saint Peter, the keys and the fishing net.

The pallium, a strip of white wool with several crosses, is one of the most significant symbols of papal jurisdiction. It symbolizes the Bishop of Rome as the “good shepherd”, with the lamb on his shoulders, but it also represents Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, sacrificed for the salvation of humanity. The wool on the Pope’s shoulders represents the lost, sick or weak sheep that the shepherd carries on his shoulders.

The pallium is worn by metropolitan archbishops. Until Benedict XVI, it was common for the pallium of archbishops to be distinguished from that of the Pope by two elements: in the case of the Pope, the crosses were red, while in the case of the archbishops they were black. In the pallium of the Pope, three keys are placed on the crosses. Francis chose to use a pallium similar to that of the archbishops, with black crosses, something that Leo XIV would also do.

After the imposition of the ring and pallium, a symbolic moment of obedience to the Pope took place, in which twelve people approached Leo XIV to swear obedience to him in the name of the entire Church: Cardinals Frank Leo (Canada), Jaime Spengler (Brazil) and John Ribat (Papua New Guinea), Bishop Luis Alberto Barrera (Callao, Peru), Father Guillermo Inca Pereda, Deacon Teodoro Mandato, Sister Oonah O'Shea, president of the International Union of Superiors General, Father Arturo Sosa, president of the International Union of Superiors General, the couple Rafael Santa Maria and Ana María Olguín and the young Josemaria Diaz and Sheyla Cruz.

World leaders present at the celebration

More than 150 international delegations were at the Vatican this Sunday to witness the beginning of the pontificate of Leo XIV.

Representing the United States, Robert Prevost's birth country, was Vice President J.D. Vance. Peru, where Prevost spent much of his life as a bishop and missionary, was President Dina Boluarte.

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The inaugural Mass brought together representatives from countries involved in the main armed conflicts currently underway. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, was also present — and the Vatican announced a private audience between Leo XIV and Zelensky at the end of the Mass. On the other hand, Russia was represented only by the Minister of Culture, Olga Liubimova.

Israel was represented at the highest level by President Isaac Herzog, while the Palestinian Authority was represented by Ministers Ramzi Khouri (Religious Affairs) and Varsen Aghabekian (Foreign Affairs). Other prominent figures included King Felipe of Spain, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Portugal was represented by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.