Pope takes formal possession of chair of Bishop of Rome

Pope Leo celebrated Mass at the basilica where he took possession of the cathedral on May 25. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, papal vicar for Rome, and then he walked through the basilica’s Holy Door.

At the start of the liturgy, Cardinal Reina read a profession of obedience to the Pope on behalf of the diocese, and then the Pope sat on the raised marble chair in the basilica’s apse, taking formal possession of the cathedra of the Bishop of Rome. He then received representatives of his flock, including clergy and lay people.

The Pope dedicated his homily to the Mass readings, putting special emphasis on the importance of listening. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (15:1-2, 22-29) described Paul and Barnabas recognising the authority of the Jerusalem church and going there to settle the question of whether Gentiles could embrace a form of Christianity that did not include observing every aspect of Mosaic law.

“This was no easy matter; it called for much patience and mutual listening,” and Peter and the apostles in Jerusalem were prepared to listen, Pope Leo said. That dialogue “led to the right decision”, he said, because they listened to God’s voice.

“In this way, they remind us that communion is built primarily ‘on our knees’, through prayer and constant commitment to conversion. For only in this way can each of us hear within the voice of the Spirit crying out: ‘Abba! Father!’ and then, as a result, listen to and understand others as our brothers and sisters,” he said.

“Pope Francis frequently encouraged us to reflect on the maternal dimension of the Church and her defining qualities of tenderness, self-sacrifice and the capacity to listen,” he added.

“We hope that those qualities will be increasingly present in the people of God everywhere, including here, in our great diocesan family: in the faithful, in pastors and, first of all, in myself,” Pope Leo said.

Before going to St John Lateran for the Mass, Pope Leo also met with Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, in a brief ceremony at the bottom of the steps below city hall.

After the Mass, the Pope travelled in an open popemobile to the patriarchal Basilica of St Mary Major where he venerated the Salus Populi Romani (“Salvation of the Roman People”), a Marian icon in a side chapel. After the prayers and final blessing, he stood and prayed at the tomb of Pope Francis.

FULL STORY

Communion requires prayer, listening, conversion, pope says (By Carol Glatz/CNS)

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