The Inauguration Mass for Pope Leo XIV will be celebrated at 10 am (4am EST) Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square, Rome.
The celebration includes the bestowal of the Fisherman’s Ring and pallium. These are two visible symbols of papal authority.
The Fisherman’s Ring marks the pontiff as a successor of St. Peter the fisherman. The ring will have an image or symbol of St. Peter the Apostle on it such as keys to the kingdom of heaven, a fisherman’s net or boat, a tiny portrait, etc. Popes in the 13th century used the ring for wax seals on personal letters.
The pallium signifies the pope’s worldwide jurisdiction over the Church. The pallium is a white woolen vestment band adorned with crosses and worn around the neck over the chasuble. Historically the pallium is made from the wool of a lamb that been blessed on the Feast of St. Agnes. Additionally, the pallium of wool symbolizes the pope as a good shepherd carrying a lamb on his shoulders.
As cardinal his episcopal motto was, In Illo uno unum, means “In the One, we are one,” and is taken from a treatise on Church unity by St. Augustine, patron of the now-pope’s Augustinian religious order. As he is now installed officially as pope, let us not tire of praying that the Holy Spirit continues to guide him as the Holy Father with wisdom, patience, faithfulness, and joy.
Pray for Pope Leo XIV: As the celebration unfolds and – God willing – the many years ahead let us keep Pope Leo XIV in our prayers. In his first address as our Holy Father, he pledged to work for a united Church faithful to Jesus and the Gospel. The prayer within the image with this post is our prayer for him – we used his first words as our Holy Father on that balcony on May 8th into a prayer for him.
