Pope Leo XIV waves during the inaugural Mass of his pontificate, held in St. Peter’s Square on May 18, 2025. He stands in front of a Flemish tapestry depicting the dialogue between Jesus and Peter after the miraculous catch of fish. / Credit: Vatican Media Vatican City, May 18, 2025 / 06:58 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV on Sunday formally began his ministry as head of the 1.4 billion members of the universal Catholic Church, acknowledging divisions among the faithful with a call for fraternal communion and unity at his inaugural Mass.Addressing an estimated 150,000 people crowded into St. Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets, the 69-year-old pope, elected May 8, said: “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.”Under Pope Francis, the Church experienced internal division over issues of liturgy and moral doctrine on sexuality and the family, including the approval of the blessing of same-sex couples.At the Mass, concelebrated with the members of the College of Cardinals, Leo expressed his intention to “come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family.”Leo XIV has indicated his desire for collegiality from his first moment as pope, when he spoke about walking together as a united Church in his opening words to the world on May 8, following the announcement of his election. He also held an early meeting with cardinals where they were invited to speak up on whatever issue concerned them, something that had not happened under Francis since 2014.Reflecting on the qualities expected in the successor of St. Peter, he said: “If the rock is Christ, Peter must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat, lording it over those entrusted to him.”Pope Leo XIV gets emotional as he receives the Fisherman's Ring, a special gold ring bearing the image of St. Peter and the Pope's name and seal. Cardinal Tagle put the ring on him. #popeleoxiv #inaugurationMass #vatican #catholicchurch pic.twitter.com/dub6auBzmS— EWTN News (@EWTNews) May 18, 2025 Hundreds of religious and international leaders and dignitaries, representing nearly 200 foreign delegations, attended the Mass for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome on May 18, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In his homily, Leo spoke about the conclave that chose him to be the Church’s 267th pope: “Coming from different backgrounds and experiences, we [the cardinal electors] placed in God’s hands our desire to elect the new successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome, a shepherd capable of preserving the rich heritage of the Christian faith and, at the same time, looking to the future, in order to confront the questions, concerns, and challenges of today’s world.”“Love and unity: These are the two dimensions of the mission entrusted to Peter by Jesus,” the pontiff added.Quoting St. Augustine — who inspired the religious Order of St. Augustine, to which he belongs — Pope Leo XIV said: “The Church consists of all those who are in harmony with their brothers and sisters and who love their neighbor.”The pope lamented the discord and wounds of our time: “For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion, and fraternity within the world.”Before delivering his homily, Leo received the symbols of the papacy, the pallium and the fisherman’s ring, in a richly-symbolic rite including an act of obedience and fidelity from representatives of the College of Cardinals and “the people of God.”The pallium, a narrow band made of white lamb’s wool, was draped over his shoulders. The pallium, which has two black flaps and three pins representing the nails of Christ’s cross, symbolizes the bishop as the good shepherd and Christ the Lamb crucified for the salvation of the human race.The gold fisherman’s ring, a part of the papal insignia since the first millennium, has the image of St. Peter with the keys and fisherman’s net, a symbol of authority and the duty entrusted to St. Peter by Jesus to be “a fisher of men.”This exquisite Flemish tapestry depicts the dialogue between Jesus and Peter after the miraculous catch of fish. It was created for the Sistine Chapel based on a work by Raphael. Nothing was left to chance at the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV. pic.twitter.com/doVNHD5D1e— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) May 18, 2025 After the sung proclamation of the Gospel in Latin and Greek — the passage from the Gospel of John, when Jesus asks Peter “do you love me?” and commands him to “feed my lambs” and “tend my sheep” — Cardinal Dominique Mamberti placed the pallium around Leo’s shoulders and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, OFM Cap, recited a prayer.With visible emotion, Leo received the fisherman’s ring from Cardinal Luis Tagle, looking at the ring and then lifting