Pope Leo XIV was welcomed by cheers from faithful Catholics as he toured around Saint Peter’s Square and nearby Via della Conciliazione aboard the popemobile on Sunday (May 18) ahead of his inaugural Mass.

Leo will formally take up his role as leader of the global Catholic Church on Sunday, with a Mass in St. Peter's Square that will draw tens of thousands of well-wishers, including dozens of world leaders and European royalty.

Crowds crammed the square and surrounding streets in Rome for the formal celebration, which starts at 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) and includes the first ride in the white popemobile by Leo, the first pope from the United States.

Leo was elected in a conclave that ended on May 8 and will be officially installed as the new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.

Leo, whose birth name is Robert Prevost and who is a Chicago native, succeeds Pope Francis, who died on April 21 aged 88.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VATICAN CITY (MAY 18, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

1. POPE LEO WAVING TO CROWD ON POPEMOBILE ON SAINT PETER'S SQUARE, CROWD HEARD CHEERING

2. POPE ON POPEMOBILE DRIVING BY CROWD

3. CROWD ON SQUARE

3. VARIOUS OF POPE WAVING TO CROWD FROM POPEMOBILE

4. CROWD

5. POPE WAVING

6. CROWD ON SQUARE, STREET

7. PORTRAIT OF VIRGIN MARY AND CHILD

ROME, ITALY (MAY 18, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA – Access all)

8. VARIOUS OF POPEMOBILE DRIVING THROUGH VIA DELLA CONCILIAZIONE, POPE WAVING

9. POPE WAVING TO CROWD, SAINT PETER’S BASILICA IN BACKGROUND

10. CROWD

11. POPE WAVING TO CROWD, SAINT PETER’S BASILICA IN BACKGROUND

12. POPEMOBILE DRIVING TOWARDS SQUARE

VATICAN CITY (MAY 18, 2025) (VATICAN MEDIA - Access all)

13. CROWD ON SAINT PETER’S SQUARE, VIEW OF OBELISK

14. BABIES BEING BROUGHT TO POPE, POPE BLESSING THEM

15. POPE WAVING TO CROWD

16. VARIOUS POPEMOBILE DRIVING THROUGH CROWD, POPE WAVING

17. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO WAVING TO CROWD ON POPEMOBILE ON WAY TO SAINT PETER'S SQUARE, CROWD HEARD CHEERING