Pope Leo XIV's inaugural Mass draws global leaders
Pope Leo XIV was welcomed by a sea of faithful as he made his way through Via della Conciliazione aboard the Popemobile to the sound of applause and chants of "Viva il Papa," just ahead of the inaugural Mass marking the start of his papacy.
St Peter's Square was filled with international delegations and religious leaders from across the globe.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were among the guests. A strong clerical presence was also noticeable among the attendees, with around 700 bishops and priests, more than 2,000 members of the clergy, and hundreds of deacons.
Thirty-eight ecumenical delegations attended, including representatives from the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.
Pope Leo XIV was visibly moved as he received the pallium and the Fisherman's Ring, two of the most significant symbols marking the beginning of a pontificate. The latter represents the bond between Christ and the Church, of which the pope is both shepherd and model.
He then delivered his homily, in which he paid tribute to Pope Francis, saying, his death filled our hearts with sorrow.' Reflecting on the conclave that elected him as successor to Saint Peter, he noted how it responded to the questions and challenges of the modern age.
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV once again called for peace, emphasising that achieving it requires 'a united Church".
'Brothers and sisters, I would like that our first great desire be for a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world," he said, in Italian.
The pontiff's words, delivered in front of world political leaders, reaffirmed the role he envisions for the Vatican: as a space for dialogue and mediation.
The Holy See confirmed that the pope will privately meet with Zelenskyy on Sunday afternoon.
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'As per the guidance, the Commission has instructed its services not to sign off on work programmes if those contain overly specific activities directed at EU institutions or their representatives,' the EC statement added. The institution will take 'further measures,' the spokesperson said, to strengthen transparency and include appropriate safeguards. 'We have been working closely with the European Parliament and the European Court of Auditors to improve this transparency even further. Information on recipients of EU funding, including the names of recipients and amounts, is publicly available on the Commission´s Financial Transparency System website,' the statement said.
Euronews
10 hours ago
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European Commission goes on the offensive against NGO accusations
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MEP Monika Hohlmeier (Germany/EPP), told Euronews back in January that her concerns were raised when she examined some 30 funding contracts from 2022 and 2023, as part of the parliament's annual scrutiny of EU budget spending. In January, Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin conceded that some financing from the EU's €5.4 billion environmental programme LIFE may have been inappropriate. 'I have to admit that it was inappropriate for some services in the Commission to enter into agreements that oblige NGOs to lobby members of the European Parliament specifically,' he said. But he also defended the role of NGOs in EU policy making. In April, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) also concluded following a lengthy probe that the Commission's funding of NGOs was 'opaque' and exposed the executive to 'reputational risk.' But the court did not find any breach of EU values from NGOs. 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Russia, Ukraine trade accusations over delaying POW swap
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