A solemn service to mark the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV took place at the Vatican on 18 May.
The ceremony was attended by high-ranking officials from various countries and tens of thousands of faithful.
Today’s Mass marks the official beginning of the papacy of Leo, who was elected the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church on 8 May. He is also the first pope born in the United States.
Speaking to tens of thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square, the pontiff pledged to work for the unity of the Church and warned against “locking ourselves into our small groups”.
“At present we still see too many divisions, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest,” the pope said.
In his first Sunday blessing on 11 May, Leo XIV recalled countries suffering from war and called for “a real peace as soon as possible” in Ukraine.
Pope Francis was buried on 26 April in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. He died on 21 April at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke.