World leaders to attend papal mass in Rome as first US pontiff receives fisher’s ring and wool pallium

An estimated 250,000 pilgrims and a host of world leaders and royals, including the US vice-president, JD Vance, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, and Britain’s Prince Edward, are expected to attend St Peter’s Square for the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV.

The service, which begins on Sunday at 10am local time, marks the official start of the papacy of the first US pontiff in the history of the Roman Catholic church.