18-05-2025
Watch live: Pope Leo XIV's papal inauguration
The Brief
Pope Leo XIV's inaugural mass will be held Sunday in St. Peter's Square, following traditions set by Pope Francis in 2013.
The new pope, a Chicago-born former missionary in Peru, is the first American to lead the Catholic Church.
He has pledged to promote peace in global conflict zones and highlight the traditions of eastern rite churches.
VATICAN CITY - The inauguration of Pope Leo XIV is set to begin on Sunday.
According to Vatican News, the inaugural mass will be held in St. Peter's Square, 10 a.m. local time. It's expected to last about 90 minutes.
Dig deeper
The Vatican hasn't released too many details on what the mass will entail, but it's expected to be similar to the inaugural mass of Pope Francis in 2013.
RELATED: How to watch Pope Leo's inauguration Mass
According to TIME, the lengthy service traditionally starts with a visit to St. Peter's tomb inside the Basilica, where deacons retrieve two items: the fisherman's ring and the pallium, a vestment worn by the pope.
Pope Francis also gathered with nine other Catholic Church leaders at the Basilica to pray, according to the outlet.
A procession soon entered St. Peter's Square, accompanied by the chant "Laudes Regiae," also known as "Christus vincit," the Latin phrase meaning "Praise to the king" or "Christ conquers."
RELATED: Pope Leo XIV's first address: Full text
It's expected that after Pope Leo XIV holds his own version of the procession, he will be presented with the pallium and the ring as a symbol of his taking of the papacy.
LiveNOW from FOX will stream live coverage of the mass starting at 3 a.m. ET, as well as provide a full replay of the entire service starting at 9 a.m. ET. Both will run uninterrupted.
You can watch LiveNOW from FOX here on this website. You can also watch it for free wherever you stream, from your TV to your phone to your tablet.
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What they're saying
The pope has vowed to take "every effort" to work for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine and to actively promote the spirituality and traditions of the eastern rite churches, those Catholic communities with origins in the Mideast and eastern Europe that have been decimated by years of conflict and persecution.
"The church needs you!" Leo told a Holy Year audience of eastern rite pilgrims.
He has also taken over the Vatican's official social media handles, with a first Instagram post on Tuesday repeating the first words he said to the world as pope: "Peace be with you all!"
RELATED: Cardinal Robert Prevost elected new Pope Leo XIV: Here's what's next
The @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV post featured some of the photos that have documented the first days of history's first American pope.
The Vatican said it was archiving the posts from Pope Francis ' 12-year papacy. On X, the new account didn't appear to be active Tuesday.
The Vatican launched the @Pontifex handle in 2012 during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. It now comes in nine languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic, and Latin -- and counts a combined 52 million followers.
Past popes didn't actually send the posts, which were curated by the Vatican.
The backstory
Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, is the first pontiff from the United States.
Prevost, 69, is a Chicago native and also a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as bishop.
RELATED: Who is Cardinal Robert Prevost? American elected pope for 1st time
He joined the Order of St. Augustine in 1977. He attended Villanova University near Philadelphia, where he received a Bachelor of Science in 1977, and he got a Master of Divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982.
Prevost was twice elected prior general, or top leader, of the Augustinians, the 13th century religious order founded by St. Augustine.
After Francis sent him to Chiclayo, he acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015, until Francis brought him to Rome in 2023 to assume the bishops' office and presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
The Source
The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes primarily from Vatican News and TIME, which provided details about the upcoming inaugural mass and historical context from Pope Francis's 2013 inauguration. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
