Pope Leo XIV inauguration mass will be on May 18, says Vatican

Pope Leo XIV conducts Mass in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, May 9, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Vatican Media via Reuters

The Vatican says Pope Leo XIV will be formally installed as Pope at a Mass on May 18 and will preside over his first general audience on May 21, 2025.

The Vatican on Friday (May 9, 2025) provided a schedule of Pope Leo’s upcoming agenda. It includes meetings with cardinals, Vatican officials, the media, diplomatic corps and the general public.

The Vatican also said that Pope Leo had asked all heads of Vatican offices, who technically lost their jobs with the death of Pope Francis, to return to work until further notice. It said he wanted to take time for “reflection, prayer and dialogue” before taking any further decisions on confirming them definitively.