Historic moment Albo shakes hands with the new Pope – and the VERY Aussie detail the PM took with him to the Inauguration at the Vatican

Anthony Albanese brought along a very Aussie accessory as he met Pope Leo XIV at the inauguration mass on Sunday.

The Prime Minister donned an Akubra as he joined world leaders and royals at St Peter’s Square in Vatican City for the historic event watched by millions around the world. 

Albanese later documented his meeting – minus the Akubra, with the new Pope on social media.

Footage showed the pair shaking hands and sharing a brief conversation.

‘Honoured to attend the inaugural Mass and meet His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, who is in the prayers of Australia’s five million Catholics today,’ Albanese captioned the footage.

Ahead of the ceremony, he told reporters in Rome: ‘It will be a special day for the five million Australians of Catholic faith … and it is a great honour for me to be here representing Australia

Since arriving in Rome, Albanese has met with Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher and Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli at Domus Australia.

The mass, attended by tens of thousands of people in St Peter’s Square, began at 10am local time (6pm Sunday AEST). 

Anthony Albanese (left) met with Pope Leo XIV (right) at the inauguration mass at the Vatican on Sunday

The Prime Minister was seen wearing an Akubra at the Inauguration Mass (pictured)

Church leaders presented the Pope with the pallium, a vestment that signifies his assumption of the papacy, and a fisherman’s ring, the symbol of the first apostles being ‘fishers of men’ in the gospels.

Albanese said the Pope would be invited to Australia for the International Eucharist Conference in 2028.

If it goes ahead, the trip would mark the first papal visit to Australia in more than a decade and attract thousands of Catholics from around the globe. 

‘As part of this visit we will be inviting his holiness Pope Leo to visit Australia at that time and give us that honour,’ Albanese said.

He will lobby for the visit alongside Australia’s ambassador to the Holy See, former federal minister and Nationals MP Keith Pitt, who also attended the inaugural mass at St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday.

‘It’s been a long time since a Pope has been in Australia,’ Pitt told Sky News.

He added that the Pope, who hailed from America but spent much of his life in Peru, was ‘a student of the world’.

‘He’s been to Australia a number of times … and I was reminded again this morning by an Archbishop that apparently he loves Tim Tams,’ Pitt said.

Albanese joined other world leaders at the Inauguration Mass (pictured)

Albanese, who is also Catholic, said he did not often talk about his religious views but they had helped inform his politics.

‘One of my first memories is of Pope Paul VI visiting Pyrmont Bridge Road, Camperdown, across the road from my house,’ he said.

‘My mum took me across to get close to Pope Paul.

‘It was one of the very important moments in my mum’s life. I was just a little kid at the time.’

The recently re-elected Prime Minister will also advance Australia’s domestic and foreign policy agenda as part of his whirlwind two-and-a-half-day visit to Rome.

Albanese has also met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen, with the war in Ukraine and trade expected to top the agenda.

Albanese said he hoped to schedule meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured second right), who was also in attendance

Albanese (pictured wearing an Akubra at the Inauguration Mass on Sunday) said the Pope would be invited to Australia for the International Eucharist Conference in 2028.

The Prime Minister said he supported a trade deal with the Europeans if it was in Australia’s interests.

Ms von der Leyen told Mr Albanese she is ‘looking forward to a new era between Europe and Australia’.

‘The good thing is Australia and Europe and reliable partners, we’re predictable, we share the same values,’ she said.

‘We can offer to each other stability and we’re very grateful for that and this is the reason that we do not only see you as a trading partner but we also see you as a strategic partner’.

Canada and the EU have felt the brunt of US President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, and Albanese will attempt to revive free trade negotiations with the EU, which broke down in 2023.

Other notable attendees include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prince William and US Vice President JD Vance, who will represent the US on behalf of Trump.

Albanese said he also hoped to schedule meetings with Vice President Vance and President Zelensky.