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Inauguration Mass for Pope Leo XIV Set to Begin Soon; 2 Dead, 19 Injured After Mexican Navy Ship Hits Brooklyn Bridge; FBI Says, Fertility Clinic Blast Intentional Act of Terrorism. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 18, 2025 - 03:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to all of our viewers in the United States and watching all around the world. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and this is CNN Newsroom.

The first American pope is now set to formally take up his role as global Catholic leader. Pope Leo XIV inauguration Mass will get underway in less than an hour. Tens of thousands are expected to attend in including world leaders and European royalty.

The pontiff will ride to the Vatican in the Popemobile, he will visit St. Peter's tomb or he will pray, and two symbols of the papacy will be collected, the fisherman's ring and a liturgical vestment called the pallium. And then he'll celebrate the mass.

I'm joined now live from Rome by CNN Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb and by Father Patrick Mary Briscoe. He's the editor of Our Sunday Visitor Magazine, and from New York, we're joined now by our CNN Religion Contributor of Father Edward Beck. A big welcome to all of you.

And let's first go to Christopher. Pope Leo is en route to St. Peter's Square. We're waiting for him to arrive in the Popemobile, first time for him as Pope Leo, and he formally begins his ministry today with this inaugural mass. And this has a number of key moments. Christopher, what are you looking out for?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christie, first of all, we're looking forward to seeing Pope Leo on the Popemobile for the first time. That's always a special moment when he can come out into the square and. And greet people directly. He's not done that since his election. So, we are obviously waiting for that moment.

But there are some very important, symbolic moments in this mass, in this liturgy. It begins, as you said, the tomb of St. Peter, which, of course, for Catholics is the first pope, St. Peter, known as the fisherman because, of course, he was a fisherman and. We are expecting Leo to receive the ring of the fisherman, a gold ring, which is a symbol of his office, and also the pallium, which is a symbol also of his authority. So, it starts inside the basilica with eastern church leaders and orthodox church leaders, and then it moves out into the square where the mass will begin. And he will receive those symbols of office formally after the gospel is read. And then he will give a homily, which is going to be an important moment where he sets out some of the priorities of his papacy.

He will also receive in a sort of -- it's called an oath of obedience, different members of the church representing different parts of the church, including his time in Peru and also some cardinals, young people, married couples. So, this is going to be a mass that really, in a sense, begins Pope Leo on that ministry as the 267th pontiff, the successor of St. Peter. Kristie?

STOUT: A sense of anticipation is building as we await for Pope Leo to ride in on the Popemobile. Let's go to Father Patrick, who's also on site next to our Christopher Lamb. And, Father Patrick, when it happens, this will be Pope Leo's first ride in the Popemobile. This is an iconic and specially designed motor vehicle. Could you tell us more about it? You know, how does it factor into not just the comfort, but also the outreach of the papacy and for the new pope?

PATRICK MARY BRISCOE, EDITOR, OUR SUNDAY VISITOR: It's true that actually the Popemobile has become an incredibly important thing in the modern era. We can think of the symbolism of Pope Francis having been carried in procession in his funeral mass in the Popemobile. We weren't expecting that. It was kind of a grand surprise from the Vatican, but it was a very beautiful thing because it's the Popemobile that really brings the pope to the people. The Popemobile is the vehicle that makes the pope accessible.

As I was leaving the monastery where I was staying here in Rome this morning, I was seeing some sisters who were coming down. They were very excited. They were coming to see the mass. But they wanted to place themselves in the square at just the right spot so that they would be very near the pope during his ride.

So, for many people, being close to the pope while he's riding in the Popemobile, that's the closest that they'll get to him.

[03:05:00]

And so the Popemobile has this kind of unofficial symbolism of office this.

STOUT: And sure enough, there he is. Pope Leo is arriving in Vatican City in the Popemobile. We've been speaking to our Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb as well as our guest, Father Patrick. And we also have Father Beck from New York, who's watching proceedings from us -- for us as well.

And, Father Beck, let's talk more about the Popemobile as we see Pope Leo enter the picture here in the Popemobile for the first time. And this is not only a vessel created to be able to protect the pope, but also to help with his outreach. But it's an all-electric vehicle. It's an E.V. And, you know, we know Pope Leo has spoken out publicly in support of sustainability and clean energy. So, there's an added dimension of, I guess, you could call symbolism here.

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, this is going to be a real hallmark. I think of this pope's papacy as well. As you'll recall, Pope Francis had the encyclical Laudato Si, which was all based on our care of the environment, as stewards of the Earth sustainability. And so this is all of today are really important symbols. Everything will be thought out.

So, the electric vehicle certainly is in accord with what the mission of this pope will be about. He has spoken out about the environment following in the lead of Pope Francis. He has seen where he has lived some of the devastation of climate change, and so he's definitely committed to that particular concern.

There are many symbols today that I will be looking for as well. Already been mentioned, the two main ones are the pallium and the fisherman's ring. Now, what's interesting about the pallium is that Pope Benedict, when he received it, changed it a little. And what he did was he made it thicker, a more traditional one, and he changed the black crosses to red crosses. And so the pope's pallium then was distinctive from other metropolitan.

Now, Paul Francis turned it back and he made himself have a thin pallium with black crosses on it. And he went back to the more traditional one of ordinary bishops. He's bishop of Rome and his pallium very much represented other bishops.

We will see what Pope Leo chooses, because, as we know, when he came on the balcony, he more resembled Pope Benedict because he wore the red cape, the mozzetta, and he did not do what Pope Francis did come out in the simple white cassock. And some took that as a symbolism, as a nod to traditionalism. And I think it'll be interesting to watch all of the symbolisms as they play out and what the choices of Pope Leo are today with those symbols.

STOUT: Absolutely. We will see the choices that Pope Leo makes, especially in regards to the pallium when he emerges later on from the basilica and greets well wishes there once again. An interesting point of view shot just out of the new pope on this inaugural mass day, riding through Vatican City.

Let's go back to Christopher Lamb, who's on site. And, Christopher, the world is watching this right now we are on the cusp of the inaugural mass of Pope Leo. Tell us more about who is present. Who is attending this event today and attending today's mass in St. Peter's Square.

LAMB: Well, you've got delegations from all over the world here from the United States, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is here, also expecting President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, President Herzog of Israel and also members of European royalty, Prince Edward from the United Kingdom.

So, it's basically virtually every country represented in, in some way for this mass and is expected that Pope Leo, at the end of the celebration, he will then greet briefly some of those delegations in St. Peter's.

STOUT: And, Father Patrick, we know that the U.S. vice president, J.D. Vance, is there, along with the U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Pope Leo has urged respect for migrants. He has challenged the views of the Trump administration, so between Vance and Rubio and Pope Leo is there, do you believe, potential for conflict or for common ground?

BRISCOE: Well, it's certainly going to be very interesting because of course, Pope Leo is going to take the Catholic position, which Pope Francis very ardently defended, which calls for us to welcome migrants, to tend to those in need, to be a country that is supporting and caring for the poor.

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But Pope Leo does have the advantage of coming to the moment and beginning a new relationship. So, unlike Pope Francis, who was, of course, pope during President Trump's first term as president, we're going to be seeing something new.

Now, it could very well be the case that Polio recognizes that President Trump will only have a few years in his presidency, and he may be more muted on this point, but I suspect given his position as a missionary bishop in Latin America, we'll be hearing some clear teaching on this point and that he'll engage, I think, in a constructive way, the leaders of the United States.

STOUT: And, Father Beck, I wanted to get your thoughts on this, especially because you know Pope Leo, you've studied with him, you know what he's like. How can he handle the challenges of this spiritual moment and this political moment?

BECK: Well, I think he's such a balanced individual from all we have heard, and he's a great listener. And so while he certainly has opinions, he's not someone to kind of spout off out the mouth or become immediately confrontational. He really believes in what we have called the synodal prophet of coming together and meeting and discerning and discussing and allowing the outreach and the outgrowth of that to be determining policy and to determine direction in the church.

So, I think what we're going to see is a very thoughtful man. I think we've seen that already. He came out on the balcony for the first time with prepared statements that he had well thought through. I don't think we're going to see a lot of impromptu papal new kind of news interviews the way we have with Pope Francis, where he says off the cuff things and that makes the news that day.

I think whatever Pope Leo said will be what he's thought about, what he really believes. And I think though that we will find him very determined and very strong on the issues in which he believes. And he has already spoken about some of them, and certainly migrants and immigration is one of them. He will not back down on this issue. And, once again, I think this will be a hallmark of his papacy, just as it was for Pope Francis. STOUT: And let's go back to Christopher Lamb, who's on the ground there at the scene. And, Christopher, politics aside, what is the feeling there among the faithful and the well-wishers who have gathered to witness this moment on the cusp of the inaugural mass for Pope Leo? There must be a sense of excitement and enthusiasm.

LAMB: Oh, yes, absolutely. It's very much a celebratory atmosphere here, excitement, joy. We've just seen Pope Leo go past us on the Popemobile for the first time, waving at the crowds, giving a thumbs up. At one point, I think people will find in Pope Leo, yes, a different kind of character to Francis, but someone who is very warm, who can engage, who's got a good sense of humor. And it's very special for people to be able to get close to the pope in this way when he goes through the square greeting people. So, yes, it's very much an atmosphere of celebration here this morning in St. Peter's.

STOUT: Pope Leo just drove by and is all-electric, E.V. Popemobile, swinging by both Christopher Lamb on the scene as well as Father Patrick next to you.

Father Patrick, your thoughts at this moment as we await the inaugural mass of Pope Leo. Did you ever think, Father Patrick, that there would be an American pope?

BRISCOE: The scene here is so joyful, and it represents a continuation of Pope Leo's election. When we were in the square when Pope Leo was elected, we were stunned. I turned to one of my colleagues. I was up on the colonnade with journalists, and I turned to my colleague with my mouth, a gape. I just couldn't believe that an American had been elected pope. In fact, I heard his name and I had to clarify that it was really Cardinal Prevost, which was just an exciting moment.

It was so beautiful because regardless of who the man is, regardless of which cardinal is elected, when he comes on the Logia, he's Peter, he's the pope. And so there's a kind of celebration that comes up and overcomes the moment, regardless of whose preference, who -- which cardinal you wanted it to be. All of that is sort of cast to the side because the pope stands before you and you're just glad to see it.

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When he just drove by Chris and myself here, I found myself getting excited again just to be near him. I wanted to wave, you know? And I think there are many of the faithful who have that kind of joy, that sense of love for the papacy, for the pope, as we're getting to know Leo and looking forward to the many beautiful moments that are going to take place this morning.

STOUT: Yes. And, Father Patrick, I think there we have viewers all over the world who just want to take in this momentous moment as we see Pope Leo ride through the Popemobile for the very first time on the cusp of being officially installed as the next pope, the next leader of the Catholic Church. Why don't we just pause for a moment here and just take in the sound, take in the vision, take it in full screen. And just when I asked for our audiences to enjoy this moment, I think we just witnessed the Popemobile take a three-point turn. It turned around. It's going back through the crowds swinging by again. Let's bring in Father Beck for his reaction and his response to just the momentous nature of this moment.

Father Beck, how are you taking all this in?

BECK: Well, I think I'm heartened by the universality of it and the universality of what we've seen thus far with Pope Leo. I mean, the word Catholic at its very root means universal. And what Pope Leo has tried to communicate is that the church is welcoming and can be for everyone, and he's going to reach out at that kind of a church much as Pope Francis did.

He has spoken to the eastern right and orthodox leaders, saying he wants them to very much maintain their liturgy to be part of what we do and build as a community together. I think we'll see him reach out to all kind of marginalized groups, as Pope Francis did. And I think more and more that we need to build this sense of an inclusive church that Pope Francis began.

And I think what we will see is that Pope Leo will be very much a pope who will continue in that same vein because, as you know, some people for years have felt alienated from the church reasons, various issues, or religion itself has kind of been waning, especially in the U.S., formalized religion. And I think anything we can do to help evangelize and bring people back to its spirituality and the essence of what Catholicism and Christianity is supposed to be, I think, will be really important.

And when we stress the mission of Jesus, a mission of mercy and love and forgiveness and inclusivity, I think that will indeed happen rather than people feel pushed away by rules that they can't adhere to, or certain restrictions that don't kind of seem normal to them or right to them. And I think, again, that's in conversation and dialogue and I think this pope will be open to that kind of dialogue.

STOUT: Father Beck, underscoring how Pope Leo will be an inclusive leader who would promote dialogue to multiple people across multiple faiths, outreach all over the world. Christopher, I wanted to get your thoughts on the global nature of Pope Leo. I mean, this is a man who has multiple passports. He speaks multiple languages. In his first speech after being elected pope, he spoke in fluent Spanish and Italian and not English, and he speaks other languages fluently as well. Your thoughts, Christopher, on the global outreach that the new pope will be capable of.

LAMB: As well, Kristie, I think the fact that this pope is a citizen of the world was very important when the cardinals came to elect him. Of course, he is an American, Chicagoan, but he spent a lot of his life as a missionary in Peru and crucially leading the Augustinian Order, of which he's a member, for a number of years, more than a decade. And in that role, he traveled widely. And we are expecting him to make a number of foreign trips. I think he'll go to Peru, for sure. Obviously still waiting to hear confirmation about things from the Vatican, but he is a pope who has a global mission.

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He's just coming past us now. I think you can hear from the crowd. And I think when we see Pope Leo get into his stride as pope, we're going to expect him to travel widely, I think, because that's going to be important, because his job -- his vocation is to take the message of the church to as many different cultures and countries as possible.

STOUT: And, Father Patrick, I wanted to get your thoughts on the international outreach and mission of the new pope. I mean, Pope Leo has American roots, he has missionary experience, but he's also a leader with deep international perspective.

BRISCOE: One of the things that's come out since the Conclave, of course, is that we've been talking about how the cardinals didn't have a strong sense of each other. But the thing that's become very clear is that they all had a strong sense of who Cardinal Prevost was. He had a key role here in the Vatican, in the Dicastery for Bishops, choosing bishops and helping to govern the church.

His perspective, I think, is going to be shaped heavily by that, looking at the church from what is truly the universal perspective, a Catholic perspective, as Father Beck pointed out. So, he has been looking at the church here from Rome, looking around at the whole world, getting to know bishops from all over the world.

That's why they felt comfortable choosing him as pope. That's a major factor. And we can look to that experience and the work that he's done the last two years with Pope Francis and understand from that, that he's going to carry on the same international perspective.

STOUT: And, Father Beck, we have had the opportunity to hear Pope Leo speak. He has urged the church to continue its, quote, missionary outreach, especially to areas where it is, quote, desperately needed. What do you believe are the priorities for the new pope?

BECK: Well, I think that outreach will be essential to the poor, and, again, continuing in the legacy of Pope Francis, whom Pope Leo greatly admired and worked with. And as a man who spent over 20 years in mission territory in Peru and became a beloved bishop there among those people, he has that memory in his heart. He's been shaped by that. He's been shaped with the experience of a church going to the periphery. And so he will bring that into this experience. You can't have that kind of a formative experience and not have it change you.

And I think that's one of the reasons the cardinals actually elected Pope Leo because they knew that this was a man, like Francis, who was close to the people, who was a pastor. Today's liturgy is all about going to be celebrating the shepherd, the one who carries the sheep, the one who feeds the lambs and feeds the sheep, that that's the primary image of the pontiff of the pope, shepherd. And, again, the pallium made of lamb's wool have to be placed over his shoulders, is meant to symbolize the shepherd carrying the lamb.

And so in order to be a shepherd, an effective shepherd, you have to know the sheep. As Pope Francis used to say, you have to have the smell of the sheep on you, which is a closeness and intimacy. And I think that's what we will find with this pope because of his lived personal experience.

STOUT: Thank you, Father Beck.

Let's listen in to the live video, the live audio. We're getting straight from Vatican City as a new pope, Pope Leo, is on the cusp of being formally instated as the next pope at the Catholic Church and is rolling through the Popemobile there through the square for the very first time. Let's listen in.

And, Christopher, you know, just moments ago, we heard the roars, we heard the handclapping, the sounds of jubilation, which underscores not only the charisma and the popularity of Pope Leo, but also the historic nature of what is going to happen next, Christopher.

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LAMB: That's right. It is going to be historic because, of course, Pope Leo, the first American pope, will now begin very soon the formal inauguration of his pontificate. He will be joined by church leaders, including orthodox leaders, at the tomb of St. Peter. He will go to pray there. It's a powerful moment for what -- who Catholics believe is the successor of St. Peter, who's Pope Leo, to pray at the tomb of the first pope, St. Peter, to start the service in that way.

And then he will come out into the square for the beginning of the mass. He will receive those symbols of office from fellow cardinals, the ring, and the pallium. He will receive the ring from Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines. He will also -- there will also be a prayer, which will be said by Cardinal Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of Congo. And he will also receive in this liturgy the oath of obedience or a pledge of obedience from Catholics representing different parts of the church.

Now, in the past, that was done solely by cardinals. This time, it's going to be some cardinals. It's going to be a bishop from Peru, where Leo served many years. There's going to be a married couple, two young people, a religious sister, a nun who works in Rome, who leads an organization that represents religious sisters across the world.

So, I think that is a nod to how Pope Leo wants to lead the church. He wants the church hierarchy to work closely with the people. He wants there to be a sense of joint mission. And that is going to be, I think, reflected in this service. Obviously, it's a mass and it goes right back roots in centuries of tradition in the church. You know, for many centuries, there was also a papal coronation where the pope, after being inaugurated, was crowned with the tiara. That's no longer the case.

So, this is a service that is rich in tradition and symbolism, but also reflecting where Pope Leo wants to lead the church. STOUT: This is indeed a day that is rich in symbolism, in tradition. You just mentioned two symbols, papal symbols, the pallium as well as the fisherman's ring. We'll discuss that more later in the hour.

But also in terms of symbolism, we're seeing a variety of flags being waved outside noting the nationalities of the many well-wishers who are there. And my (INAUDIBLE) producer also spotted the Illinois state flag, of course, underscoring the Chicago roots of Pope Leo.

Many thanks to Christopher Lamb and Father Patrick Briscoe in Rome, and many thanks to Father Edward Beck in New York, and we'll be checking back in with you in the moments ahead.

We'll go back to Vatican City in a moment, but when we return, we'll also look at some of the day's other news, including the latest developments in New York, where a Mexican navy ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge.

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STOUT: Welcome back. We are continuing to follow the breaking news out of New York. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she is saddened by the death of two people when a Mexican navy training ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge. At least 19 others were injured. The two people who died fell from one of the ship's mast. This is according to a law enforcement official. And video shows that both of the mast hit the bridge and broke apart as the vessel passed through with a tugboat at its side.

Now all lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge were briefly closed in both directions after the incident, but they have since been reopened. City officials say mechanical issues may have caused the ship to strike the bridge, but they cautioned all information they have so far is preliminary.

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WILSON ARAMBOLES, NYPD CHIEF OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS: The ship was departing from Pier 17, where it was heading out to sea. The pilot, the captain that was maneuvering the ship lost, I guess, power of the ship and the current mechanical function caused the ship to go right into the pillar of the bridge hitting the mast of the ship.

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STOUT: Earlier we spoke with Flavio Moreira, who saw the incident firsthand as it happened several hours ago, and he also recorded some of the video that we've been showing you. And he told us he didn't realize at first just how serious the situation was.

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FLAVIO MOREIRA, WITNESS: Maybe we were not aware of the danger that a situation like this could be implying to us. So, until the boat actually hit the bridge, we didn't -- I don't feel like anyone discerned the danger of the situation. So, yes, it hid (ph) it. And there was like a little bit of commotion, but also a lot of people started recording like me because we just didn't -- it was just such a surreal, almost like cinematic experience just like happening in front of us.

But it was just like a very regular day at the Brooklyn prominent. There was like a children's soccer team practicing by the grass. People were taking pictures over the Manhattan skyline. So, it was pretty regular and it just felt like it was a boat was just like going around as usual. So, yes, but there was like a lot of commotion after this, yes.

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STOUT: Now, Juliette Kayyem, she is CNN senior national security analyst, spoke with us earlier and she digs deeper into what the investigators will be looking for in the hours and the days ahead.

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JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: There's going to be likely just from history, there will likely be two separate investigations. One, the most -- the one that will take primacy will be the United States one. These are U.S. waters. This is an American city. This was a U.S. first response to determine, you know, basically what in fact happened, what notifications were done, what was -- how was the pilot in terms of his capacity to understand and to alert and then what was the capacity of the ship. Were there problems with it before? Had it lost power in the days and weeks before? We learned, in fact, in the Baltimore Bridge case that that ship had actually had power issues for, I think, a few days before. So, that's the kind of thing that we'd want to learn on the U.S. side.

On the Mexican side, obviously, it's a big navy ship. This is a lot of trained personnel in their navy. Something terrible happened. They will do their own investigation. And I think that's why you saw the Mexican presence there from the beginning, both to show their support, to make sure that their sailors were okay, that family were notified, but also to figure out what happened, because this is a bit of an embarrassment for them.

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STOUT: Now, a source tells CNN that police believe the person responsible for an explosion that damaged a Southern California fertility clinic was killed in the blast. The FBI sent bomb technicians to the site in Palm Springs shortly after a car explosion rocked the quiet neighborhood and seriously damaged the fertility clinic injuring four people. And the Bureau believes this was a deliberate act.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AKIL DAVIS, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AT LOS ANGELES FIELD OFFICE: Make no mistake, this is an intentional act of terrorism. The FBI is investigating it as such, our joint terrorism task force is here working in lockstep with the Palm Springs Police Department, the ATF, and a whole host of agencies that have already mentioned.

If anyone has information regarding this incident, I urge him to call 1-800-CALLFBI for any tips that might assist us in our investigation.

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STOUT: An eyewitness who was near the clinic when the Blas detonated talked to CNN about what he saw.

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NIMA TABRIZI, WITNESSED EXPLOSION NEAR FERTILITY CLINIC: You just heard a boom and freaked out the guy that was helping me. And next thing you know, we looked to our right outside, it looked like a movie. Everyone was just pointing, getting their cameras out. And we saw this large smoke. So, I said, oh my God, let's go see because it's right next to where we're staying at. And upon pulling up, we see what looked like a human remain on the ground. And then we see a bunch of fire, ambulance, everything, firefighters right there.

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STOUT: Now, the doctor who runs the clinic told the Associated Press the office space was damaged, but the IVF lab in the area where embryos are stored, they were both untouched. And he says all the clinic staff, they're safe.

Now, authorities in Louisiana are still searching for seven men who were part of a mass jailbreak on Friday morning. Now, state police released these photographs saying that three of the inmates who escaped have been captured. The sheriff said that they broke out of a New Orleans jail after breaching a wall behind a toilet. Investigators believe the prisoners may have had help from inside the sheriff's department. Online records show they're facing charges for violent crimes, including murder.

Now, at least 25 people have been reported killed by a violent storm system that has torn through parts of the Midwestern United States. Large tornadoes are reported in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, both on Friday and Saturday with 18 people killed in Kentucky alone.

Now, one man captured video of a twister approaching his home in St. Louis, Missouri. Watch this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, man, it's a tornado, man. We in the tornado. Oh, (BLEEP). Oh (BLEEP).

(END VIDEO CLIP) STOUT: Ripped apart. Now, nearly half a million homes and businesses across several states are right now without power, and it's not over yet. These storms are part of a multi-day system of severe weather that is expected to stretch into the early part of next week.

Julia Vargas Jones shows us some of the destruction that the first wave left behind.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the extent of the damage St. Louis is still grappling with, downed trees, downed power lines, lots of the city still without power. This one tree we watched earlier as a crew of volunteers chopped it into pieces to try and clear the road of this one street behind me here, row after row of houses that have sustained some severe damage, most of them to the roofs, windows.

[03:40:07]

But this first house that had been in this family, the owner told me, for six generations, the whole back of it, the one room completely gone.

That's the case for a lot of different streets in this neighborhood. The parallel streets, one other resident telling us that it felt like it was five tornadoes hitting at once. In about 50 minutes, another resident said that's how quickly the tornadoes tore through here and caused all of this damage.

Some of the city crews have been here. They have painted that orange X in the doors. That means that these houses have already been checked. This, as, of course, the search and rescue operations continue. More than 5,000 structures have been damaged according to the mayor in this. And of course that does make sense. We've seen those videos, winds of up to 100 miles an hour. It's scary. A lot of the residents that live through it said they heard hail hitting at their doors. They went to the lower parts of their house.

Tonight, there will be a curfew in place from 9:00 P.M. until 6:00 in the morning as the city tries to control some of the dangers that could come from there not being power in many hours at the city as well, as some residents trying to take the matters in their own hands and trying to clean up by themselves. They're urging people to be safe and coordinate with authorities if they choose to do that, to ensure that everything is done safely and no one is in danger.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, St. Louis.

STOUT: The installment mass for the first American pope gets underway in less than half an hour. But, first, the new pontiff will pray at the tomb of St. Peter. We will go live to Rome once again after the break.

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[03:45:00]

STOUT: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Kristie Lu Sout in Hong Kong. Let's check today's top stories.

Officials say a Mexican Navy training ship that struck New York's Brooklyn Bridge likely suffered a mechanical issue. The mayor says at least two people were killed and 19 others injured. All lanes of the bridge were briefly closed in both directions after the incident, but they have since been reopened.

The FBI is investigating an explosion at a California fertility clinic that the agency says was an intentional act of terrorism. One person was killed, four others injured. And a source tells CNN that investigators believe the person found dead in the rubble was the one responsible for the blast in Palm Springs.

Now, at least 25 people have been reported killed by a violent storm system that tore through parts of the Midwestern United States. Tornadoes ripped through several states on Friday and Saturday. Nearly half a million homes and businesses are without power right now. Another round of severe storms is expected to impact the Southwest early next week.

Pope Leo XIV is set to visit the tomb of St. Peter, where he will pray head of the inauguration Mass, where he formally takes the reins as leader of the Catholic Church. The ceremony in St. Peter's Square is set to begin in about half an hour.

And moments ago, we witnessed the event, the pontiff, he rode to the square in the Popemobile for the first time, traveling through streets, packed with tens of thousands of well-wishers and Catholic faithful.

You're watching CNN Newsroom live from Hong Kong and we'll be right back.

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STOUT: Welcome back. We are following the scene as St. Peter's Square, where Pope Leo XIV is set to celebrate his inaugural mass.

I'm joined now once again from Rome by CNN Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb and by Father Patrick Mary Briscoe, editor of Our Sunday Visitor Magazine, and from New York by CNN Religion Contributor Father Edward Beck. Welcome back all of you.

And, Christopher, let's start with you. This is the day -- oh, we see on our screen live on our screen live video of JD Vance, who is one of the many international dignitaries who were invited to witness today's inaugural Mass. And, Christopher, could you tell us more about who else has been invited, who have you managed to see who are there to witness this historic event?

LAMB: Well, Kristie, every country across the globe has seemingly sent some kind of delegation. There's been a long list that has been published by the Vatican of who is coming. Amongst them, as you say, Vice President JD Vance himself, became a Catholic in 2019. So, he is here along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Zelenskyy, we're also expecting to see here for the mass. They will be seated up near the altar where the mass will take place. And Pope Leo is expected to greet some of them afterwards.

I think the presence of the world leaders emphasize is that, as pope, Pope Leo, has an important moral voice on the world stage. As pope, he will meet with world leaders throughout his pontificate, and, of course, he will be seeking to articulate the priorities that he sees that are important for the world, particularly around peace. He's already mentioned that. He's also suggested he's going to talk about developments around artificial intelligence and what impact that will have on the world of work.

So, the presence of the world leaders is a sign that Pope Leo is going to be engaging with the world as a moral leader, as a moral voice. And that's what the cardinals wanted, they said, when they discussed who should be pope. They wanted a credible voice for peace, to be prophetic. And I think that's what Pope Leo will seek to try and do.

STOUT: And, Father Patrick, you know, this is the beginning of the pontificate. It is grounded in tradition. We understand that the pope is inside the basilica right now. Could you tell us what is happening at this moment?

BRISCOE: Well, the St. Peter's is an extraordinary place. It's filled with significance for Catholics because it's the tomb of St. Peter. We, of course, believe that Peter was the first pope. And so gathering at Peter's tomb, gathering at his grave, beginning the prime (ph) ministry there has a great significance. It's a sign of the continuity. It's a sign of the succession, which has endured down through the ages.

We're going to hear some beautiful hymns today. One that I'm looking forward to is the great litany that will be prayed as Pope Leo prays there at the tomb. It's not your typical litany of saints. You'll hear lots of invocations of the power of Christ. And those prayers are very important because it's not the pope who is our king. Of course, as Catholics, we're looking to Christ. The pope is a servant.

And as Pope Leo begins his office today, he'll really take on a role of service to the entire church. So many of the language of these prayers, especially this beautiful hymn that will hear prayed beginning there at the tomb of St. Peter point to the humility, actually the simplicity of the office.

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STOUT: And as Pope Leo officially takes the papacy today, Father Beck, he will receive the symbols of the papal office. Earlier in the hour, you described to us the significance of the pallium, which he will be wearing around his neck, but there is also the fisherman's ring, and that has links to the New Testament. Father Beck, what does that symbolize?

BECK: Well, that symbolizes going back all the way to St. Peter, who was the fisherman that they're speaking about, the first pope. And so it is typically a gold ring that has the image of St. Peter on it, and then the pope's name written Latin. So, each pope usually gets their own ring.

And, again, I spoke about the difference with Pope Benedict as compared to Pope Francis and the symbolism attached to that. So, it'll be interesting to see here too. Pope Francis decided not to have a new ring made and not to have a 24-karat gold ring. He had a gold plated ring. And my understanding was that it was a ring somehow that he got from a secretary to Pope Paul VI. So, it was kind of a used ring and I'm not sure what they did to it but that's what Pope Francis wanted.

My understanding is this will probably be a newly fashioned ring, whether it be 24-karat gold or not. But, typically, although the gold, the 24-karat gold, is only about 30 grams of the ring, so that's about maybe $2,500, the ring costs almost a half a million dollars to be made. And I think that was one of the reasons Pope Francis decided not to get a new ring made.

But, again, it's such an important symbol that there's a tension placed on it because it does symbolize the papacy, the continuation from the first pope, Pope Peter, to the pope today. And, of course, Peter being the fisherman, getting the great catch of fish and the gospel edict fishers of men and women. And so it's a very important symbol for the papacy.

STOUT: Father Beck, thank you for that. This is a moment of tremendous tradition and symbolism as we await the start of the inaugural mass. This is the day when his papacy, Pope Leo, officially begins.

Many thanks to you, Christopher Lamb, Father Patrick Briscoe in Rome, Father Edward Beck in New York. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Thank you for joining us.

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