© Photo: Maria Novoselova/ Vestnik Kavkaza
The enthronement ceremony of Pope Leo XIV has ended in the Vatican, he officially ascended to the Holy See. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square.
The new Pope Leo XIV officially took office as the 267th head of the Roman Catholic Church, receiving the symbols of papal authority: the fisherman's ring and the pallium (a woolen ribbon with embroidered crosses).
He concluded the enthronement mass with a prayer to the "Queen of Heaven" and a blessing. Thousands of believers and pilgrims, as well as over 150 delegations from foreign countries, representatives of royal houses and religious denominations, gathered in St. Peter's Square, where the ceremony took place.
The new pontiff, who turns 70 this year, is expected to have a long term of office. Leo XIV will focus on social justice in the context of the digital revolution and the desire to resolve conflicts. It is worth noting that he has already proposed the Vatican as a venue for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The conclave elected Leo XIV, Robert Prevost, as the new Pope on May 8. He is the first head of the Roman Catholic Church from the US.
