The Vatican Press Office released the official schedule of initial engagements over the coming weeks for Pope Leo XIV. Here are the key dates:
Immediate appointments
Saturday, May 10: Meeting with cardinals
Sunday, May 11: Regina Caeli prayer from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica
Monday, May 12: Meeting with worldwide press
First formal engagements
Friday, May 16: Reception of diplomatic corps (heads of mission)
Sunday, May 18: Inaugural Mass for the Beginning of Pontificate, 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square
Tuesday, May 20: Taking possession of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
Wednesday, May 21: First general audience of his pontificate
Saturday, May 24: Meeting with the Roman Curia and Vatican City State employees
Special celebrations
Sunday, May 25: Regina Caeli prayer followed by taking possession of the two other papal basilicas:
Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran (the pope’s cathedral as bishop of Rome)
Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major
The inauguration Mass on May 18 will be the formal installation ceremony where Pope Leo XIV will receive the fisherman’s ring and the pallium as symbols of his papal office. The “taking possession” ceremonies of the four papal basilicas are traditional acts that underscore the pope’s role as bishop of Rome and head of the universal Church.
Catholic News Agency