Once the white smoke appears and the new pontiff is introduced from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican moves quickly to coordinate the papal inauguration.
Now that Pope Leo XIV has been elected as pope, all eyes will turn to the inauguration. Here’s what to know about Pope Leo’s inauguration:
What happened after conclave?
Immediately after accepting the role, the new pope steps into the “Room of Tears,” a small antechamber within the Sistine Chapel, to change into papal vestments. He then returns to the Sistine Chapel to greet the cardinals individually. A prayer service follows, after which Pope Leo proceeded to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for his first public appearance, delivering the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing—a papal address given by the pope on certain solemn occasions—to the crowd in the square and viewers worldwide.
When is the papal inauguration?
While there is no fixed rule requiring a certain gap between conclave and inauguration, it typically occurs within a week.
After Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected on March 13, 2013, he was inaugurated as Pope Francis I on March 19. Benedict XVI was elected on April 19, 2005, and his inauguration took place five days later on April 24. The timing allows the pope to prepare for public ministry and to meet with senior Vatican officials before formally beginning his role. The inauguration mass then marks the official start of the new papacy and draws a large global audience, with more than 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, according to the Vatican.
The break between conclave and the inauguration looks like it will be longer this time. According to the New York Times, the inauguration for Pope Leo XIV, née Robert Prevost, will be on Sunday, May 18 in St. Peter’s Square.
What happens during the papal inauguration?
The papal inauguration begins with a procession into St. Peter’s Square, accompanied by cardinals, bishops, and clergy. Early in the mass, the pope receives the pallium, an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church symbolizing his authority, and the Ring of the Fisherman, which bears the image of St. Peter casting his net. A new ring is cast for every papacy, and after a pope’s death or resignation, the ring is ceremonially destroyed to mark the end of that pontificate.
The new pope then celebrates mass, delivering his homily and leading prayers. The event typically lasts about two to three hours, compared to the average weekly Sunday mass, which usually clocks in at an hour.
Much like a presidential inauguration in the United States, the inaugural mass is often seen as a reflection of the new pontiff’s priorities. Pope Francis’s ceremony emphasized humility and care for the poor, with a homily focused on service and protection of creation—themes he lived up even through his funeral. Benedict XVI’s inauguration highlighted continuity with tradition and doctrinal clarity.
Who will attend the papal inauguration?
In 2013, representatives from 132 countries attended Pope Francis’s inauguration. (As well as more than 200,000 faithful visiting Vatican City.) Notable guests included then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, president of Pope Francis’s home country of Argentina. (Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe even defied a European Union travel ban to be at the ceremony.)
Leaders of Christian denominations and other faiths were also present, underscoring the importance of the event to both religious and political communities. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Istanbul drew particular attention by attending as it was the first time the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians had joined a Roman Catholic pope’s inaugural mass since the Great Schism of 1054, which divided Western and Eastern Christianity.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.
