Ben Pawlowski
THE king and queen of Spain attended Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass at the Vatican on Sunday as the new pontiff declared that he wanted the Catholic church to be a ‘small leaven of unity’ in a time of ‘too much discord and too many wounds’.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia were among a host of world leaders to attend the ceremony marking the official start of the papacy of Chicago-born cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, the first US pope in the history of the Roman Catholic church.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US vice-president J.D. Vance also attended. The pair reportedly discussed an upcoming phone call between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin as the two sides prepare for peace talks after three years of war.
An estimated 150,000 pilgrims travelled to St Peter’s Square to catch a glimpse of the historic mass.
READ MORE: American Pope Leo presides over his first mass as pontiff in Vatican City
In Italian, Leo told the crowd: “I was chosen without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family.”
He added: “In this our time: we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest.
“For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world. We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: look to Christ. Come closer to him.”
As was the case for last month’s funeral of Pope Francis, King Felipe and Queen Letizia were handed a front-row seat for the event.
It was the second occasion that the couple had represented Spain at a mass marking the start of a new pontificate. The pair attended Pope Francis’ inaugural mass in March 2013 in their capacity as prince and princess.
On that occasion Letizia wore black, but as queen opted to conform with tradition and wear white.
Queen Letizia is one of just seven women in the world who have the ‘privilege of the white’ – the rule allows the ladies to wear white when meeting the Pope.
The privilege is reserved for a select few Catholic royals: Letizia, queen of Spain; Queen Sofia, the wife of Juan Carlos I and mother of current Spanish king, Felipe VI; Paola, queen of Belgium; Maria Teresa, grand duchess of Luxembourg; Charlene, princess of Monaco; Mathilde, queen of Belgium; and Marina, princess of Naples.
Queen Letizia of Spain, Princess Charlene of Monaco, and Queen Mathilde of Belgium all attended Pope Leo’s mass wearing all-white.
Normal protocol for papal audiences requires women to wear a long black dress with a high collar, long sleeves, and a black mantilla.
Queen Letizia chose to wear a stunning all-white dress designed by Spanish fashion outlet Redondo Brand. The garment was accompanied by a white bag, nude shoes, and a set of earrings topped with an Australian pearl.
