Πάπας Λέων: «Είμαι αδελφός και υπηρέτης σας» - Ολοκληρώθηκε η τελετή ενθρόνισής του στο Βατικανό.txt ▼ Expand

The enthronement ceremony of Pope Leo XIV was completed in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. The entire area was packed with faithful, who reached 100,000, a number much smaller than what was expected (250,000).

At the beginning of the ceremony, excerpts from the Gospel were read in Greek, as tradition dictates. According to many commentators, this is also a substantial message in favor of Christian unity. Additionally, before the start of the ceremony, Pope Leo toured the square and greeted the faithful with the popemobile, the vehicle used by each pontiff.

The two most important moments of this religious ceremony were the donning of the "vestments of the good shepherd" and the presentation to the pope of the "fisherman's ring," a symbol of his religious authority, during which he appeared particularly moved.

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew held a prominent position among the religious leaders in St. Peter's Square. The American pontiff has stated that he wishes to travel to Nicaea in Asia Minor, together with Bartholomew, for the seventeen hundredth anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. It remains to be seen whether this trip will take place on May 26, as initially scheduled by Francis as well, or if a small postponement will be needed.

Pope Leo: "They chose me without me having any merit"

Addressing the faithful, Pope Leo referred to the recent loss of Pope Francis and the help of the Holy Spirit during the conclave process.

"They chose me without me having any merit, I stand before you, with fear, trembling, as a brother and servant of your faith and happiness," the pope emphasized.

He added that the Greek verb "agapao" in the Gospel shows us the love that God shows us, a love without reservations and calculations. Leo XIV finally underlined that the main goal of the Catholic Church should be the achievement of peace, as well as the importance of proximity with the "sister Christian Churches."

Which politicians attended

Regarding the presence of politicians, those who traveled to Rome included, among others, American Vice President JD Vance, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

The head of our country's delegation was the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Sofia Zacharaki. Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Loverdos was also part of the Greek mission.

With information from APE-MPE