Pope Leo XIV declares 'I am Roman!' as he completes process to be bishop of Rome

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First American pope took possession of 2 papal basilicas successful the Eternal City.

ROME -- ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV declared himself a Roman connected Sunday arsenic helium completed the last ceremonial steps cementing his relation arsenic the bishop of Rome.

The archetypal American pope was formally taking possession of 2 papal basilicas successful the Eternal City, a formality that serves to ceremonially present Leo to his Roman flock.

One of the galore titles that Leo assumed erstwhile helium was elected May 8 was bishop of Rome. Given his responsibilities moving the 1.4-billion beardown cosmopolitan Catholic Church, popes delegate the day-to-day governance of moving of the diocese of Roman to a vicar.

Sunday's ceremonies astatine the St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major basilicas travel Leo’s sojourn past week to the St. Paul Outside the Walls basilica. Together with St. Peter’s Basilica successful the Vatican, the 4 papal basilicas are the astir important basilicas successful the West.

Rome's Mayor Roberto Gualtieri welcomed Leo archetypal astatine the steps to metropolis hall, noting that his May 8 predetermination fell during a Holy Year, an lawsuit occurring each 25 years to invitation pilgrims to Rome. The metropolis underwent 2 years of traffic-clogging nationalist works projects to hole and expects to invited upwards of 30 cardinal radical successful 2025.

Leo said helium felt the “serious but passionate responsibility” to service each Romans during the Holy Year and beyond.

Wearing his ceremonial papal garb, Leo recalled the words helium had uttered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica connected the nighttime of his election. The Augustinian pope quoted St. Augustine successful saying: “With you I americium Christian, and for you, bishop.”

“By peculiar title, contiguous I tin accidental that for you and with you I americium Roman!” helium said.

Leo, 69, the erstwhile Robert Prevost, replaced Pope Francis, the archetypal Latin American pope, who died April 21 and is buried astatine St. Mary Major, adjacent a beloved icon of the Madonna.

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