On Sunday May 18 thousands gathered in Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square to attend Leo’s historic Sunday Mass service – but as he greeted the crowds he broke one major rule
Pope Leo XIV broke a major rule at his inaugural Mass this month as he arrived in his popemobile.
On Sunday May 18 thousands gathered in Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square to attend Leo’s historic Sunday Mass service. The newly elected Pope Leo, 69, arrived at around 8.15am and could be seen addressing the crowd from his open-top popemobile.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, made history by becoming the first North American to lead the Catholic Church. He was elected in just over 24 hours by 133 cardinals from 70 countries, swiftly following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away earlier this month.
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Around 200,000 people filled St. Peter’s Square to witness Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass. Pilgrims, clergy, cardinals, and world leaders gathered under flags and cameras as the atmosphere surged with anticipation and applause.
He rode through the square in an open-back Popemobile, waving to the jubilant crowd. He chose to forgo the bulletproof enclosure that typically shields pontiffs, following the example of Pope Francis. The move broke with standard protocol, a bold decision for a newly elected American pope navigating a volatile global stage.
The first ‘official’ popemobile was a Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460 Pullman given to Pope Pius XI in 1930. Its famous nickname came later in the 1970s. The unique vehicle was introduced as a way to interact with followers, but it needed to be adapted for safety reasons following the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981. It was modified to also act as a defence vehicle, reports MailOnline.
On May 13 1981 Mehmet Ali Agca, a hitman and former member of Turkish far-right group the Grey Wolves, shot the Pope four times as he was greeting worshippers in St Peter’s Square, leaving him seriously injured. After the attack, popemobiles were fitted with bulletproof glass and heavy armour to protect the pontiffs from any further assassination attempts.
The late Pope Francis was the first to turn down the security measures when he was elected in 2013, instead opting for a open-top, unlike Pope Benedict who came before him.
During the inaugural Mass Pope Leo XIV made a resounding declaration on the Catholic Church’s stance regarding gay marriage and abortion, affirming that the Church’s concept of family is rooted in a “stable union between a man and a woman”.
The pontiff welcomed LGBTQ+ Catholics into the fold but reiterated that homosexual acts are considered “intrinsically disordered” within church teachings, maintaining the traditional doctrine that marriage is exclusively the union of a man and a woman.
Pope Leo also underscored the importance of respecting the life of the unborn and the elderly, condemning abortion and euthanasia as manifestations of the prevailing “throwaway culture.”