Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was named as the new pontiff on May 8.
Pope Leo stopped the popemobile in a heartwarming moment on his way to his inauguration.
Following the passing of Pope Francis, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on May 8.
An inauguration mass was held on Sunday (May 18) in St Peter’s Square.
Thousands turned out to welcome the new pontiff, as he stood atop the popemobile, waving to the crowd.
In one particularly heartwarming moment, the Pope made a lovely gesture to a pair of families in the crowd.
While driving by, two babies were held up by their parents in the crowd.
They were handed to security, who passed them on to the pontiff.
Pope Leo blessed each baby and returned them to their families.
The parents could be seen waving and cheering towards the Pope.
After the inaugural mass, Pope Leo is expected to reside in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, which overlooks st Peter’s Square.
It has been reported that Pope Leo will follow in Francis’ footsteps and take a far more humble approach to life in the papacy.
The Pope is reportedly entitled to a monthly wage of €2,500 (£2,100), however Pope Francis refused to accept money so perhaps Leo will do the same?
The pontiff is also given allowance to make charitable donations, and he may be worth millions due to the papal assets and services paid for by the Vatican.
It is speculated that Pope Leo XIV earned somewhere between €4,000 and €5,000 per month while he was a Cardinal.
Pope Leo was born in Chicago, but spent much of his work for the church in Peru, where he became a naturalised citizen.
Of course given his nationality, there were questions about what he thought of Donald Trump.
However, a quick look at his activity on social media shows that he rejects Trump’s stance on immigration.
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