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Today, May 18, the enthronement of Pope Leo XIV will take place in the Vatican. The ceremony will be held in St. Peter’s Square and begin at 10:00 local time (11:00 Kyiv time). A delegation of clergy and laypeople will present the new pontiff with a vow of obedience. People are already gathering in the square. Host Saken Aymurzaev of FREEДОМ TV reported the details from the scene.
The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica can be heard ringing — a traditional sign to inform Rome well in advance that a major celebration is about to begin. All surrounding streets have been cordoned off.
“It seems that everyone currently in the streets of Rome is heading here. A quarter of a million people are expected in the square and on the surrounding streets within the next two hours. And in the altar section, in front of the basilica where the altar and Pope Leo’s throne have already been set up, more than 150 delegations from almost every country and international organization will be present,” said Aymurzaev.
According to him, the largest delegation is from Italy, which shares this celebration with the Vatican. Also present are delegations from Peru — where Pope Leo previously served — and the United States — his country of birth. Among the honored guests is the Ukrainian delegation: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, First Lady Olena Zelenska, Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak, and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha arrived in the Vatican last night and will attend the service.
All cardinal-electors will gather, along with many priests and bishops from Ukraine who have also arrived in recent days. The centerpiece of the event will be the enthronement ceremony.
Notably, the modern format of the ceremony was established in 1978 by Pope John Paul I, replacing the ancient papal coronation. During this process, the Pope is formally introduced to the Church and the public as the new pontiff. Historically, the Pope would be seated on a special throne — hence the term “enthronement.” Today, the act is more symbolic but remains highly significant for the Catholic Church.
“It is integrated into the liturgy, the mass. Somewhere near the beginning of the service, the traditional ceremony will take place. It is now very short and simple. In the past, the Pope was crowned with a three-tiered tiara symbolizing great secular power. Today it’s more modest. Pope Leo will be vested with the pallium — a small woolen band symbolizing his pastoral mission. This act makes him the Bishop of Rome. A Fisherman’s Ring, engraved with the image of St. Peter — the apostle who was a fisherman in Judea and became the first bishop of Rome — will also be placed on his right ring finger,” Aymurzaev explained.
After the ceremony, Pope Leo XIV will deliver his first programmatic address.
The newly elected Pope Leo XIV has expressed his intention to offer the Vatican as a venue for peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. The Vatican previously called it “tragic” that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ignored the opportunity to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the May 15–16 summit in Turkey.
Earlier, on May 12, President Zelenskyy spoke with Pope Leo XIV by phone. On May 15, the Pope granted a private audience to the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav. Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed that the Holy See would continue to facilitate and create all necessary conditions for dialogue, and would stand by the Ukrainian people in this dark chapter of history.
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