On May 18, Pope Leo XIV formally assumed his position as head of the Catholic Church, receiving the pallium and the Ring of the Fisherman — key symbols of his spiritual authority.
The inauguration ceremony began with a prayer in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica. Pope Leo XIV, accompanied by Eastern Catholic Patriarchs, descended to the tomb of the Apostle Peter — the first Bishop of Rome — where he knelt and prayed.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, who currently heads the Dicastery for Evangelisation, presented the pope with the traditional ring bearing the image of Saint Peter, symbolising the pontiff’s spiritual bond with the Church.
