In photos: World leaders gather for Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass
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Pope Leo XIV leads the inauguration Mass of his Papacy. (Photo by Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Pope Leo XIV presided over his inaugural Mass on Sunday before a crowd of some 200,000 people.
The big picture: Leo — with world leaders, religious delegations and faithful alike watching — evoked some messages reminiscent of his predecessor Pope Francis and called for love and unity.
- In the crowd were Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The papacy of Leo, who has defended migrant rights, comes amid the backdrop of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, which has been condemned by some religious leaders.
- Leo, the first U.S.-born pontiff who spent much of his career in Peru, is seen as uniquely positioned to ease divisions between white and Latino Catholics in the U.S., Axios' Russell Contreras reports.
The intrigue: After the Mass, Leo — who has called for a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine — met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
As he closed his homily, he emphasized, "brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love," according to the New York Times.
- He also called for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar.
Go deeper: Why the conclave elected Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV
