Around quarter of a million people are expected to pack into St Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Sunday to watch the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
The event marks the start of the Pope’s term.
During the ceremony, the new pontiff is given the pallium and the fisherman’s ring as symbols of his new authority.
However, every pope is free to slightly tweak the ceremony to make it more personal.
Vatican watchers say these small details can give us clues about the man chosen to lead 1.4 billion Catholics.
For example, Pope Francis used an open-top jeep during his procession in 2013.
Here he made a conscious choice to abandon the bulletproof casing often favoured by his predecessor and get closer to the crowd.
His decision to stop the car so he could get down to greet babies and the sick was a glimpse of the characteristics which led many to later label him “the pope of the people”.
“That’s not [Leo’s] personality,” says Father Francesco Giordano, a professor of theology at the Catholic University of America in Rome. “Francis was more out there, Leo is more shy and reserved.”
Image: Francis famously stripped away the more grand aspects of the papacy – including at his inauguration in 2013. Pic: Reuters
Father Giordano describes the new pontiff as “warm, attentive and a good listener”.
He sees him as a blend of the previous popes, with charisma and emotional expressiveness like John Paul II, intellectual depth like Benedict XVI, and a focus on social issues like Francis.
Some of Pope Leo’s decisions in the last week seem to reinforce this idea.
Image: Benedict wearing golden robes at his inauguration in 2005. Pic: Reuters
When he was elected, he echoed Benedict in wearing the traditional red mozzetta – a short elbow-length cape – and moving into the Apostolic Palace, but he followed Francis in wearing his own black shoes rather than the traditional red slippers.
In doing the former, he returned to some of the traditions Francis broke with.
During his first speech on the balcony, Pope Leo talked about building bridges and Father Giordano believes he’s the perfect candidate to unite the church, as some conservatives who felt alienated by Francis will be reassured by the return to some of the traditional customs.
Sunday’s inauguration mass is also significant as the pope will give a homily – offering further clues as to the type of man he is.
This is the moment where Leo will outline his concerns for the future and how he will shape the role going forwards, according to Vatican journalist Marco Griego.
“This will be the first manifesto of the papacy where we will see the lines he will draw in the future; the themes – both religious and social,” he explains.
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Leo’s first Sunday address
Global conflict is one of the issues which may be touched upon.
In multiple statements since his election, Leo has raised concerns about the various wars being fought around the world.
In fact, “peace” was the first word he spoke to the public when he greeted them from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after being elected last Thursday.
Image: Pope Leo being introduced to the world on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica
War has also been a hot topic in his social media posts.
“War is never inevitable,” he told his 18.6 million followers on X on Wednesday. “Weapons can and must fall silent, for they never solve problems but only intensify them.
“Those who sow peace will endure throughout history, not those who reap victims. Others are not enemies to hate but human beings with whom to speak.”
On the same day he offered “to help enemies meet”, and while a peace summit isn’t going to be hosted on the sidelines of the inauguration, it will bring together hundreds of high-powered delegates from around the world including US vice president JD Vance, US secretary of state Marco Rubio, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The astonishing picture of presidents Zelenskyy and Trump talking at Francis’s funeral shows how these solemn religious ceremonies are also huge global events where leaders meet on neutral ground.
Image: The two presidents met at Francis’s funeral for the first time since their White Office bust-up. Pic: AP
“From a geopolitical perspective, being there is a display of power for the political leaders,” says Marco Griego. “Also, it’s a chance to make links or hold informal discussions, so it’s also a very important diplomatic meeting.”
It’s an opportunity some seem keen to make the most of. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s team confirmed he will be at the mass and said while in Rome, he’s hoping to meet other international leaders to discuss deepening trade, commerce, and cultural ties.
And as part of the inauguration event, pontiffs usually meet various delegations.
Image: JD Vance – who converted to Catholicism in 2019 – met Francis the day before he died. Pic: Reuters
Vatican secretary of state Pietro Parolin told journalists a face-to-face meeting between the Pope and the US vice president on the sidelines of Leo’s inauguration on Sunday is a possibility – while stressing “the problem is that there are so many delegations, the timing is very tight and so it will be a matter of seeing if there is space”.
In 2013, Francis spent around an hour speaking to leaders after the mass and once again, Vatican watchers will be carefully analysing the interactions.
Before he became Pope Leo XIV, the then Cardinal Robert Prevost reposted articles which criticised Mr Vance and Mr Trump’s stance on immigration.
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Americans react to getting a pope from the US
In 2023, following violent anti-government protests in Peru that resulted in 49 deaths, he expressed “much sorrow and much pain” to Peruvian media.
He also urged Peru’s then president Alberto Fujimori to “personally ask forgiveness for the great injustices that were committed and for which he was prosecuted” in a 2017 public statement.
However, Pope Leo’s supporters say he is a natural diplomat, who is considered and clear when he speaks – and will avoid any public fallout on such an important day.
Instead, Sunday’s inauguration is a chance for Pope Leo to set his agenda and build his relationships with both the public and those in power.
Image: Waves splash in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa hits. Pic: AP
Andrew Tracey had been due to fly home to the UK on Monday, but his flight was cancelled.
Mr Tracey told Sky News that food packages were being delivered to guests at his hotel. Deck chairs have been removed from the beach, and the swimming pools have been drained, at the Negril hotel where he is staying.
“The balcony and walls do feel as though they are vibrating just due to the strength of the wind,” said Mr Tracey.
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“I’m very nervous, it’s hard to comprehend what we are likely to expect.”
The US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said that Melissa was “one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin” as it hit southwestern Jamaica near New Hope.
Image: People walk along a road during the passing of Hurricane Melissa in Rocky Point, Jamaica, on Tuesday. Pic: AP
In a social media post, the centre warned that it is an “extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation” – and told those in the area not to leave their shelter as the eye of the storm passes over.
‘It is a bit scary, but we’ve got each other’
A British-Jamaican couple who are sheltering inside as the storm passes over the island spoke to Sky News about their ordeal.
Shantell Nova Rochester and her Jamaican fiance Denva Wray are due to get married on the island next month.
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Floods tear through parts of Jamaica
They spoke of broken windows and water coming in where they are staying, but the couple believe they are “as safe as they can possibly be” in St Elizabeth.
Mr Wray said: “Where we are is quite strong, sturdy, but you can hear a lot of wind. It is a bit scary, but we’ve got each other, so we are strong.”
Asked about the wedding, Ms Rochester said: “We’re just worried about getting through tomorrow, but that’s a worry in the back of our heads.
“Where we’re plan to get married is flooded at this time.”
Government action ‘too late’ – British tourist
One British man who paid £3,500 for last-minute flights so he and his family could return home before the hurricane hit the island said that he felt “completely let down” by the government’s response.
David Rowe and his family, from Hertfordshire, had spent 10 days in Jamaica before deciding to fly back to the UK on Saturday.
Mr Rowe, 47, was critical of the response of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Image: David Rowe with his wife Abby, daughter Cora, eight, and son Ethan, 12, during their holiday in Jamaica. Pic: PA/handout
Speaking to the PA news agency, IT manager Mr Rowe said: “It’s all too late, their reaction and their response to the storm has been too late – after the fact.
“The advice should have been last week, like on the Saturday – don’t travel – because a lot of the travel companies use the FCDO guidance on travel (for) all their planning and what decisions they make as an organisation.
“There should have been something done much sooner than this. A lot of the UK nationals, and people on holiday there, they are stranded.
“This could have been prevented with with better action from the UK government.”
Mr Rowe added that he and his wife had felt “very anxious” before they flew home – and “very sad” for those left in the country.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We understand how worrying developments in Jamaica are for British nationals and their families.
“Our travel advice includes information about hurricane season, which runs from June to November. Last Thursday we updated our travel advice for Jamaica to include a warning about Tropical Storm Melissa and that it was expected to intensify over the coming days.
“The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority, and that is why we are urging any British nationals in Jamaica to follow the guidance of the local authorities and register their presence with us to receive updates.”
Blasts have been reported in Gaza after Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to carry out “powerful” air strikes.
Witnesses said they saw explosions and heard tank fire in Gaza City and Deir al Balah.
An Associated Press reporter in Deir al Balah heard tanks firing from an area controlled by the Israeli army, and, in Gaza City, two health officials reported strikes, including near the Shifa hospital.
At least two people were killed, and four others wounded, by a strike on a neighbourhood south of Gaza City, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence.
The announcement of strikes came shortly after Israel said that Hamas had opened fire on its forces in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
Hamas has denied involvement in the attack in the city of Rafah. The militant Palestinian group also said in a statement that it remained committed to the US-backed ceasefire deal.
Image: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to carry out air strikes on Gaza. Pic: Reuters
A statement from the prime minister’s office said: “Following the security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military echelon to carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip immediately.”
US Vice President JD Vance said the ceasefire, which began on 10 October, was holding, telling reporters: “That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there.
“We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an (Israeli military) soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the president’s peace is going to hold despite that.”
Hamas on Tuesday said that it would postpone the planned handover of a body of a hostage it had recovered, claiming violations of the ceasefire by Israel.
In a sign of the fragility of the ceasefire, Israeli troops were shot at in Rafah, and returned fire, according to an Israeli military official.
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Analysis: Two events combine to threaten a fragile ceasefire
The official told him: “Hamas violated the ceasefire once again, carrying out an attack against IDF forces east to the yellow line, an area under Israeli control.
“This is yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire. This comes after Hamas has also shown their true face and the fact that are pretending to not know where the remaining hostages are.”
Image: Hamas militants carry a white bag believed to contain a body retrieved from a tunnel in southern Gaza on Tuesday. Pic: AP
Hamas said on the Telegram messaging app that any Israeli escalation of attacks in Gaza would hinder search and recovery operations, and delay the return of the bodies of Israeli soldiers.
There are thought to be 13 bodies of hostages still in Gaza.
Speaking to Sky News, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said: “The first line of this agreement is that all of our hostages should have been returned on the first day of this agreement.
“They were supposed to give back all of our hostages, and there was supposed to be a ceasefire. There are still 13 of our murdered hostages (in Gaza).
“And secondly, Hamas are firing on our troops. That is not a ceasefire.”
After the ceasefire took effect, all 20 living hostages were freed in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, but the remains of the dead have been slow to be repatriated.
Hamas has said there are problems finding them due to a lack of equipment to sift through the devastation and rubble in Gaza.
The search for hostage bodies had been stepped up over the past few days after the arrival of heavy machinery from Egypt.
Image: Hamas members and Egyptian workers search for the bodies of hostages in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Pic: AP
Bulldozers were working in Khan Younis, and further north in Nuseirat, with Hamas fighters deployed around them.
Some of the bodies are believed to be in Hamas’ network of tunnels below Gaza.
Eleven people have been killed after a plane carrying tourists to a Kenyan safari reserve crashed.
According to officials, the aircraft burst into flames and was reduced to charred wreckage at the hilly and forested area in which it crashed.
The plane had been travelling from Diani Airport, on the coast, to the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
The dead included eight Hungarian passengers, two Germans and the Kenyan pilot. There were no survivors.
Authorities initially said the crash happened at 5:30am local time. Later, the Kenyan transport minister gave the time of the incident as 8:35am.
Image: Kenyan officials inspect the scene of a plane crash near Diani, Kenya. Pic: AP
Kenya’s ministry of roads and transport said the aircraft was destroyed by the impact of the crash and an ensuing fire.
Investigators from the country’s aircraft accident investigation department have been deployed to the site to begin an inquiry, they said.
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The department added that the Kenyan government’s “highest priority” remains aviation safety.
In a statement, John Cleave, the chairman of Mombasa Air Safari, said “our hearts and prayers” were with all those affected by the crash.
He wrote that the company had activated its emergency response team and was “fully cooperating” with the relevant authorities, who have already begun investigating.
“Our primary focus right now is on providing all possible support to the families affected,” Mr Cleave continued, adding that a family assistance team had been established to offer counselling, logistical coordination and any required assistance to the relatives of the victims.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is a two-hour direct flight from Diani, a popular coastal town known for its sandy beaches.
Image: Kenyan security officials secure the wreckage of an aircraft which crashed with 11 people onboard. Pic: Reuters
The reserve attracts a large number of tourists as it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote on social media on Tuesday that his foreign ministry had been in contact with authorities in Kenya concerning the Hungarian victims of the plane crash.
He said: “What a tragedy! Our sincere condolences to families of the Hungarians who died in the plane crash in Kenya.”