Whoops, waves, tears: Faithful react to Pope Leo’s first Sunday blessing in St. Peter’s Square

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Tens of thousands of faithful Catholics gathered in St. Peter’s Square to watch Pope Leo XIV deliver the first Sunday blessing of his pontificate exactly at noon.

They unfurled flags from around the world, waved back as the first U.S. pope waved from the loggia, and whooped, hugged and wiped away tears as he shared a greeting for Mother’s Day.

The crowd started pouring into the Vatican hours before the marching bands arrived and the pope walked through the dark...