Pope Leo XIV has officially hard launched his papacy. The new pontiff, 69-year-old Chicago native Robert Prevost, shared a message on Wednesday from the official @Pontifex account on X for the first time since being named the new head of the Catholic Church. The handle was first launched in 2012 during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.

The Election of Pope Leo XIV delighted and surprised many Catholics and non-Catholics alike. His first words before he gave his apostolic blessing, “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”), were memorable.

Over 150 delegations attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV's Pontificate. Leo XIV trembled with emotion, "with a heart full of gratitude," when he was bestowed with the pallium and the Fisherman's Ring accrediting him as the 267th Pontiff of the Catholic Church.