Good morning, Vatican! How Leo XIV will show the world signs of leadership

From his cape to his slippers, the new pope will be watched closely in his first week for hints about his pontificate

- Joanna Moorhead

A week ago, Robert Prevost would have expected to be waking up today in his Rome flat, wondering what the new pontificate would mean for his work at the Vatican department that oversees the appointment of bishops.

Instead, he is getting ready to head out on to the balcony of St Peter's as Pope Leo XIV. He will follow the age-old Sunday tradition of blessing the crowd, saying a few words, and leading a recitation of the "Regina Caeli" (Queen of Heaven) prayer, which in the Easter season replaces the Angelus.

With the papacy, everything is about signals. It's not just what the pope says: it's how he says it, what he's wearing, how he moves and engages with the crowd. Leo will have given a lot of thought to the first impressions he will create this morning.

The usual form will be for him to focus on some element of the day's readings of the mass: but which element he focuses on, the issues he chooses to highlight, as well as any mention of groups gathered below in the crowd, will all be hugely symbolic.