MAY 18 INAUGURATION
An inauguration Mass for Leo will be held in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, May 18, the Vatican said.
World and religious leaders are invited to the inauguration, which marks the formal launch of a papacy. Pope Francis’ inauguration in 2013 attracted a crowd estimated at 200,000 people.
The new pope will also leave senior Vatican officials in their roles for the time being, giving him time to decide before making definitive appointments, the Vatican said.
All Vatican senior officials, appointed for five-year terms, serve at the pleasure of the pope. A new pontiff usually rolls over existing mandates at least initially before deciding whether to change key positions.
The pope was elected at the end of a two-day conclave that was wrapped up on Thursday evening when white smoke billowed from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel.
Given the nature of the conclaves, when cardinals are shut away from the world and sworn to secrecy, little or nothing is likely to emerge – at least for now – about how Leo obtained the required two-thirds majority of the vote so swiftly.
The successor to Pope Francis, who died last month at the age of 88, inherits a number of major challenges, ranging from a budget shortfall to divisions over whether the Church should be more welcoming towards the LGBT community and divorcees, and should let women play a greater role in its affairs.
He will also have a packed agenda, with the Vatican celebrating a Holy Year that brings millions of additional tourists to Rome.
