Agency Report –
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has described the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in St Peter’s Square as an “uplifting moment.”
A practising Catholic, the conservative politician attended the Mass alongside tens of thousands of worshippers and high-ranking representatives from around 150 countries.
He wished the new pope a “good and happy hand” in leading the Catholic Church.
Merz expressed understanding for the pope’s critique of capitalism during his sermon, noting that such messages were part of the pontiff’s “essential responsibilities.”
However, he did not see himself as a primary target of the criticism. “I believe the social market economy we have in Germany is only marginally addressed by that,” Merz, who worked as a corporate lawyer, said.
Following the ceremony, Merz briefly met with Pope Leo in St Peter’s Basilica, where they exchanged a few words.
In his homily, the new pope had urged greater solidarity with the world’s poorest, warning against their further marginalization.
Merz also met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday morning in Rome, ahead of the inauguration, according to a government statement.
The two leaders had an “intensive exchange” on key international issues, including the war in Ukraine, trade relations and energy cooperation, the statement said.
Merz extended an invitation to Carney to visit Germany, which the Canadian prime minister accepted, pledging to make the trip “in close ministerial company as soon as possible.”
Pope Leo, the 69-year-old former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, became the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, following the death of his predecessor, pope Francis, on April 21.
