May 18, 2025, Rome – In a climate of deep spirituality and participation, Pope Leo XIV presided over the Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the beginning of his Petrine ministry, on the 5th Sunday of Easter. An intense celebration that officially began a new journey for the Universal Church.

Before the start of the liturgy, the new Pontiff gathered in prayer at the Tomb of the Apostle Peter, accompanied by the Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches: a gesture full of meaning, showing his profound commitment to the unity of the Catholic Church and attention to the apostolic roots.

During the celebration, the Holy Father received the Pallium and Fisherman’s Ring, symbols of the service and mission entrusted to Peter. Visibly moved, he received these signs with gratitude and humility, strongly emphasizing the need for a Church that does not dominate but serves, that does not impose but accompanies.

The UISG's Greeting

Among the most significant moments of the celebration was the greeting from Sr. Oonah O'Shea, president of the UISG, who addressed the Holy Father on behalf of all the Superiors General, offering words of affection, prayer, and support for a pontificate rich in grace, wisdom, and spiritual fruits. The gesture testified to the active participation of consecrated women in the synodal journey and the life of the Church.

A Church as a leaven of unity and love

In his homily, Pope Leo XIV shared a clear and profound vision of the Petrine ministry: Peter is called not to be “a solitary leader” but a brother among brothers, serving the faith of God’s people. “I have been chosen without any merit, and I come to you as a brother who wants to serve your faith and joy,” said the Pope, speaking with emotion to a crowded and participative St. Peter’s Square.

At the heart of his message, Pope Leo XIV expressed the dream of a Church that is “a little leaven of unity, communion, and fraternity,” a ferment for a reconciled world, capable of responding with love to the wounds caused by hatred, violence, fear, and inequality.
His appeal was clear: “Let us walk together, as one people, as brothers and sisters, towards God, loving one another.” This vision calls the Church not to close in on itself, but to embrace history and draw close to every person, in dialogue with other Christian denominations, religions, and those in search of truth.

An appeal for peace and solidarity

At the end of the celebration, during the Regina Caeli, the Pope made strong appeals for peace: he urgently called for diplomatic solutions for the war in Ukraine and strongly denounced the situation in Gaza, urging that “no people be left to famine or abandonment.”

The UISG accompanies Pope Leo XIV with prayer and hope, renewing its commitment to the most vulnerable in the mission of bearing witness to fraternal love. It shares the dream of a Church that walks together, founded on the love of Christ, open to humanity, and a leaven of reconciliation at the heart of the world.