Find out when Pope Leo XIV's formal inauguration Mass will be held
Pope Leo XIV's formal inauguration Mass to mark his appointment will occur on Sunday, May 18 at St. Peter's Square, Reuters reported Friday, citing a statement from the Vatican.
According to Reuters, the new pope will also hold his first general audience on May 21.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass as pontiff at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on May 9, the day after becoming the first pope from the United States in the Catholic Church's history.
Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was born in Chicago and has dual Peruvian-American nationality after spending much of his career working there. He attended Villanova University, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
He was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He was named a cardinal less than two years ago.
Elected by 133 cardinals during a two-day conclave to choose the successor to the late Pope Francis, the cardinal's selection came as a surprise to papal experts and onlookers, who did not expect an American to win. He chose the name Leo XIV and greeted a roaring crowd at the Vatican on May 8.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci & N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Paste BN
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at Paste BN. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.