Pope Leo XIV will formally begin his ministry as bishop of Rome with a liturgy steeped in tradition and rich in symbolism May 18.

On Sunday morning, May 18, a Mass for the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV will take place in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. Although the Mass is no longer described as an "enthronement,

Vice President JD Vance will be in Rome this weekend for the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV. Vance, who met with the late Pope Francis on Easter Sunday just hours before Francis’s death, will make another trip to the Vatican to greet Francis’s successor.