Latest news with #faithful
Times
22-05-2025
- General
- Times
Body of St Teresa draws tens of thousands to Spanish church
'She looks good for her age,' said a pilgrim moments after gazing upon the corpse of St Teresa of Avila, who has been dead for more than 440 years. Beholding the desiccated remains of the Spanish mystic in the flesh, as it were, moved many of the faithful to comment approvingly on her physical state. 'She's muy chiquitita [very small], the señora,' said a middle-aged woman in the Venecia bar at Alba de Tormes, where in the Carmelite convent's basilica the saint's corpse, dressed in the habit of her order and reposed in an open silver coffin, has been exhibited for the past two weeks. Nearly 70,000 people — rich and poor, dukes and nuns — have flocked from across Spain and as far
CBS News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Pope Leo XIV calls for unity in inaugural Mass at the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV called for unity in the Catholic Church during his inaugural mass in St. Peter's Square before an estimated 150,000 pilgrims, presidents, patriarchs and princes. Pope Leo officially opened his pontificate by taking his first popemobile tour through the piazza, a rite of passage that has become synonymous with the papacy's global reach and mediatic draw. The 69-year-old Augustinian missionary smiled and waved from the back of the truck. Pope Leo XIV waves to the faithful in St. Peter's Square for the Inauguration Mass on May 18, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. Simone Risoluti / Getty Images During the Mass, the pontiff appeared to choke up when the two potent symbols of the papacy were placed on him – the pallium woolen stole over his shoulders and the fisherman's ring on his finger. He turned his hand to look at the ring and seal and then clasped his hands in front of him in prayer. In his homily, Pope Leo said he wanted to be a servant to the faithful through the two dimensions of the papacy, love and unity, so that the church could be a force for peace in the world. "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 this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth's resources and marginalizes the poorest." Pope Leo XIV (formerly Robert Francis Prevost) presided over his inauguration mass in St Peter's Square after his election on May 8th. Elisabetta Trevisan / Getty Images His call for unity was significant, given the polarization in the Catholic Church in the United States and beyond. Vice President JD Vance, one of the last foreign officials to meet Pope Francis before he died, led the U.S. delegation honoring the Chicago-born Pope Leo. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and multiple members of Congress joined him. "Let us build a church founded on God's love, a sign of unity, a missionary church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the word, allows itself to be made restless by history, and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity," Leo said, referencing some of the themes of Francis' pontificate as well. U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives at St. Peter's Square for Pope Leo XIV's celebration of the Mass for the inauguration of his pontificate in the Vatican, on May 18, 2025. Valeria Ferraro/Anadolu via Getty Images At the end of the Mass, Pope Leo expressed hope for negotiations to bring a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine and offered prayers for the people of Gaza — children, families and elderly who are "reduced to hunger," he said. Leo made no mention of hostages taken by Hamas from southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, as Francis usually did when praying for Gaza. After the Mass, Pope Leo greeted the delegations one by one in the basilica and had proper audiences scheduled on Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pope Leo holding inaugural mass at the Vatican in front of thousands as crowds chant ‘Viva il Papa'
Pope Leo XIV has formally taken up his role as leader of the Catholic Church, with a Mass in St. Peter's Square that drew hundreds of thousands of well-wishers, including dozens of world leaders and European royalty. In his homily, Leo said he wanted to be a servant to the faithful through the two dimensions of the papacy: love and unity. 'I would like our first great desire to be for a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world,' he said. The Vatican underlined this line in the English translation given to the media ahead of the speech, suggesting its centrality to the new pontiff's address. He added that the world 'must not close itself off into small groups'. 'We are called to offer God's love to everyone in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel our differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people,' he said. 'Brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love. The heart of the gospel is the love of God that makes us brothers and sisters. With my predecessor Leo XIII, we can ask ourselves today, if this criterion were to prevail in the world, would not every conflict cease and peace return? 'Let us build a church founded on God's love, a sign of unity for a missionary church that opens its arms to the world.' His call for unity was significant, given the polarisation in the Catholic Church in the United States and beyond. It also spoke to a desire to continue the themes of the late Pope Francis' papacy. In a comment seemingly aimed at the current age of the strongman leader, Leo added that he felt his role as the new head of the Catholic Church was to 'shield the flock without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat, lording it over those entrusted to him'. The pontiff took his first popemobile ride through St. Peter's Square this morning, greeting the crowds who joined presidents, patriarchs and princes for the formal installation ceremony of history's first American pope. An estimated 250,000 people are expected to have turned out for the event. The bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled as Leo waved from the back of the open-topped truck that looped slowly through the square and then up and down the boulevard to it. The crowd cheered "Viva il Papa" and waved plenty of Peruvian, American and Holy See flags — representing Leo's nationalities — mixed in with flags of other nations, banners and umbrellas to shield pilgrims from the springtime sun. Security was tight as civil protection crews in neon uniforms funnelled pilgrims into quadrants in the piazza while priests hurried into St. Peter's Basilica to get ready for the Mass. Born in Chicago, the 69-year-old pontiff spent many years as a missionary in Peru and also has Peruvian citizenship. He becomes the first American pope and the first to have Peruvian citizenship. He was seen taking his first popemobile ride through St Peter's Square earlier this morning ahead of his installation as thousands of fans waved at him. Robert Prevost, a relative unknown on the world stage who only became a cardinal two years ago, was elected pope on May 8 after a short conclave of cardinals that lasted barely 24 hours. He replaces Pope Francis, from Argentina, who died on 21 April after leading the Church for 12 often turbulent years during which he battled with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised. US Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert who clashed with Francis over the Trump administration's hard-line immigration policies, leads a US delegation alongside secretary of state Marco Rubio, who is also Catholic. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also in attendance, alongside his wife, Olena Zelenska, his chief adviser Andriy Yermak and foreign minister Andriy Sybiha. Mr Zelensky's spokesperson suggested they were open to further peace talks in Rome after the ceremony, following the success of the Ukrainian president's impromptu meeting with Donald Trump at Pope Francis' funeral. Mr Zelensky and Mr Vance were seen greeting one another in the run-up to the ceremony. The pair smiled as they shook hands just a few months after they were locked in a fiery exchange in the White House, when Mr Vance accused Mr Zelensky of being ungrateful for American support for Ukraine. The inauguration Mass is a ritual filled with symbolism that connects back to Peter, Jesus' apostle, and his special mission as head of the Catholic Church. No new role is conferred but Leo will receive two crucial signs of his pontificate, the "pallium" and the fisherman's ring, marking his role as successor of Peter. The pallium is a narrow stole-like vestment with two pendants to be worn across the shoulders, decorated with crosses representing Jesus' wounds. It's made of white wool in an elaborate procedure where the lambs traditionally were blessed before being sheared, just like for the similar vestments given to archbishops on their ordination. The fisherman's ring recalls the Gospel passage where Jesus appeared to the apostles after his resurrection, as they had spent a night fishing with no catch. He told Peter to cast in a specific spot, and the nets strained with lots of large fish, some of which the apostles then shared with Jesus in a lakeside breakfast. An image of Peter with the net, standing for the church's evangelisation mission and its unity, is engraved on the ring alongside the pope's name. When a pope dies, the ring is crossed over so it can no longer be used as a seal for papal documents. Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines, who was widely regarded as a papal contender, will present Leo with the ring. At the beginning of the celebration, both ring and pallium are taken from the chapel of St. Peter's tomb, underneath the Basilica, where the pope prays, accompanied by the patriarchs of eastern rite Catholic churches, out to the altar set up in St. Peter's Square.
The Standard
18-05-2025
- General
- The Standard
With first ride in a popemobile, Leo XIV starts big inaugural ceremony before tens of thousands
Faithful attend as Pope Leo XIV holds his inaugural Mass inaugural in Saint Peter's Square, at the Vatican, May 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Leo XIV greets crowd from popemobile as he heads for inaugural Mass
Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pope, waved and smiled to the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square as he arrived for his inauguration in the popemobile on Sunday. Onlookers were cheering and running to catch a glimpse of the newly elected pontiff, who will lead the Roman Catholic Church after pope Francis died on April 21. Surrounded by a throng of jogging security guards, the popemobile proceeded steadily along the cordoned-off route. The papacy of Leo XIV will officially begin with a solemn Mass in front of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, attended by tens of thousands of worshippers as well as state leaders and royalty from around the world.
