Pope Leo XIV formally installed as Bishop of Rome

Elise Ann Allen/ Crux• May 26, 2025

ROME – Pope Leo XIV Sunday paid visits to the papal basilicas of St. John Lateran, where he was formally installed as Bishop of Rome, and St. Mary Major, assuring Romans of his closeness as their pastor, and stressing the need to walk together in unity.

Speaking during his May 25 Mass at St. John Lateran, the pope told Romans, “I assure you that I love you, that I desire only to enter into your service and to place my own poor abilities, the little I have and am, at the service of all.”

“I too express my affection for you and my desire to share with you, on our journey together, our joys and sorrows, our struggles and hopes,” he said.

There are four papal basilicas in Rome – St. Peter’s in the Vatican; St. John Lateran, which is the official seat of the Bishop of Rome and is attached to the Rome diocesan curial and vicariate offices; St. Paul Outside the Walls; and St. Mary Major.

Each of the papal basilicas has a “holy door” that is opened during Jubilee years as a sign of their close ties to the papacy. Pope Francis opened each of the holy doors himself inaugurating the Jubilee of Hope prior to his death and burial in St. Mary Major.

Since each of the basilicas are of pontifical right, a new pope once elected “takes possession” of each of the basilicas, with his official installation as bishop of Rome taking place with Mass at St. John Lateran.

Prior to Sunday’s Mass at the Lateran, Pope Leo XIV on his way to the basilica stopped to greet the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, who among other things played a key role in organizing the ongoing Jubilee of Hope.

In his brief greeting, after hearing remarks from Gualtieri, Pope Leo said that at the beginning of his formal service of the Rome diocese, he felt “the serious but passionate responsibility to serve all of its members, having at heart first of all the faith of the People of God, and then the common good of society.”

“For this last purpose we are all collaborators, each in their own institutional sphere,” he said, repeating his insistence after his election that for the people, “I am with them a Christian and for them a bishop.”

He cited the church’s historic role in charity, education and assistance to the poor and needy, as well as its cultivation of the arts and commitment to preserving human dignity, saying care for the poorest is of particular concern during the jubilee.

Leo thanked Gualtieri and the city of Rome for their efforts in organizing the jubilee, and voiced hope that Rome, “unparalleled for its rich historic and artistic patrimony, always stands out for those values of humanity and civilization that draw their lifeblood from the Gospel.”

Afterward the pope then traveled to the Lateran for his installation Mass as Bishop of Rome, which was concelebrated by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar of Rome; Bishop Renato Tarantelli, vice-regent of Rome and auxiliary bishop of the southern sector of the diocese; and other cardinals, bishops, and pastors from the Rome diocese.

In homily, Pope Leo XIV said the church of Rome has the unique task of being “mother of all the churches.”

To this end, he recalled how Pope Francis often reflected on the maternal aspect of the church and its “defining qualities of tenderness, self-sacrifice and the capacity to listen.”

These qualities, he said, enable the church “not only to assist others but often to anticipate their needs and expectations before they are even expressed.”

He reflected on the day’s scripture readings and recalled the difficulties the disciples had in preaching the Gospel in a pagan world, saying, “This was no easy matter; it called for much patience and mutual listening.”

This was the case everywhere the disciples went, preaching and resolving points of difficulty through a process involving “dialogue, and even disagreement.”

In Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas met up with Peter and the rest of the apostles, and, after listening to them and recognizing the difficulties faced by new converts, they agreed “not to impose excessive burdens on them, but rather to insist only on what was essential,” he said.

“In this way, what might have seemed a problem became for everyone an opportunity for reflection and growth,” the pope said.

Pope Leo noted that these decisions were all based on prayer, with scripture saying the chose their course of action because “it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”

“The most important part of the entire event was listening to God’s voice, which made everything else possible. In this way, they remind us that communion is built primarily ‘on our knees,’ through prayer and constant commitment to conversion,” he said.

God, he said, does not leave anyone alone in making decisions in their lives, but is rather always present to teach and guide along the way.

“Naturally, the more we let ourselves be convinced and transformed by the Gospel – allowing the power of the Spirit to purify our heart, to make our words straightforward, our desires honest and clear, and our actions generous – the more capable we are of proclaiming its message,” he said.

Leo also underlined the need to remember one’s experiences and lessons that have been learned in order to move forward.

To this end, he recalled the listening process the church in Italy has undergone in recent years through its own national synod process, held in tandem with the broader Synod of Bishops on Synodality that Pope Francis led from 2021-2024.

“This has been a challenging, ongoing journey meant to embrace a very rich and complex reality. Yet it is worthy of the history of this local Church, which has shown, time and again, that it is able to ‘think big,’ unafraid to embark on bold projects and to confront new and challenging scenarios,” the pope said.

He also thanked Rome for welcoming pilgrims for the Jubilee year, and asked for prayer as he begins his ministry as pope, and as Bishop of Rome.

During a brief greeting from the central balcony of the Lateran basilica after Mass, Pope Leo XIV said he was happy to see Romans gathered during his installation as their bishop.

“Living our faith, especially during this jubilee year, seeking hope; but trying to be ourselves a witness that offers hope to the world,” is key, he said, especially for “a world that suffers so much, so much pain, due to war, violence, and poverty.”

“But the Lord asks us Christians to always be this living witness, to live our faith, feeling in our hearts that Jesus Christ is present and knowing that he always accompanies us on our path,” he said, and thanked Romans for “walking together.”

“Let us all walk together! Always count on me, who with you am a Christian, and for you a bishiop!” he said.

At the end of Mass at the Lateran, Pope Leo went the short distance to St. Mary Major, where Pope Francis is buried, and where he prayed before Francis’s tomb and the famed Maria Salus Popoli icon that his predecessor loved so dearly.

In a brief greeting to the crowd gathered at St. Mary Major, delivered from the central balcony of the basilica, Leo said he was very happy to see members of his diocese there to greet him, and thanked them “from the heart” for their welcome.

He thanked the people who work in the basilica and the cardinals who accompanied him, as well as “the many people who are dedicated to helping us live our life of payer, of devotion, and above all who help us draw near to the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God, Mary Most Holy”.

“It is a beautiful time to renew this devotion to Mary, Salus Popoli Romani, who has accompanied the people of Rome so many times in their needs,” he said, referring to the icon housed in the basilica, and asked for God’s blessing on the church of Rome, and for his help “to walk together in the Church, united as the one family of God.”

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(Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd from the main balcony of St. Mary Major basilica after a prayer service, in Rome on May 25, 2025 | Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images)