Pope Leo XIV takes possession of the diocese of Rome

Published at: 26/05/2025 11:56 AM

Pope Leo XIV took possession of the diocese of Rome in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and received a tribute from the mayor of the Italian capital, Roberto Gualtieri. He is scheduled to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the remains of his predecessor, Francisco, lie.

Before attending the basilica, the pontiff went to the Capitol, seat of the mayor's office of the Italian capital. “Peace is Rome's most powerful universal vocation,” Gualtieri said, referring to the message of the American pope, who condemns armed conflicts affecting the world.

In Lateran, where after his election every new Pope comes to take possession of the episcopal chair, Leo XIV celebrated a mass and invoked the spirit of the cathedral, which, according to him, should inspire “tenderness, willingness to sacrifice and that capacity for listening that allows not only to help, but often to foresee needs and expectations, even before they are formulated”.

San Juan de Laterán, located on a hill near the Colosseum in the heart of the Italian capital, has been a fundamental place for Christians since the first centuries. It was built around 320, it is the first of the four great papal basiicas and until the 19th century, the pope's coronation ceremony was held in that basilica.

Mazo News Team