Pope Leo XIV declared himself a Roman on Sunday as he accomplished the ultimate ceremonial steps cementing his role because the bishop of Rome.
The first American pope was formally taking possession of two papal basilicas within the Eternal City, a formality that serves to ceremonially introduce Leo to his Roman flock.
One of the numerous titles that Leo assumed when he was elected May 8 was bishop of Rome. Given his responsibilities running the 1.4-billion strong universal Catholic Church, popes delegate the day-to-day governance of running of the diocese of Roman to a vicar.
Sunday’s ceremonies on the St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major basilicas follow Leo’s visit last week to the St. Paul Outside the Walls basilica. Together with St. Peter’s Basilica within the Vatican, the 4 papal basilicas are an important basilicas within the West.
Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri welcomed Leo first on the steps to city hall, noting that his May 8 election fell during a Holy Year, an event occurring every 25 years to ask pilgrims to Rome. The city underwent two years of traffic-clogging public works projects to organize and expects to welcome upwards of 30 million people in 2025.
Leo said he felt the “serious but passionate responsibility” to serve all Romans through the Holy Year and beyond.
Wearing his formal papal garb, Leo recalled the words he had uttered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on the night of his election. The Augustinian pope quoted St. Augustine in saying: “With you I’m Christian, and for you, bishop.”
“By special title, today I can say that for you and with you I’m Roman!” he said.
Leo, 69, the previous Robert Prevost, replaced Pope Francis, the primary Latin American pope, who died April 21 and is buried at St. Mary Major, near a beloved icon of the Madonna.
