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The bells of the Ghajnsielem Parish church tolled joyously while the new Pope was being inaugurated as the 265th leader of the Catholic Church. The festive tunes started at mid-day and tolled for an uninterrupted fifteen minutes to commemorate the occasion. In his homily, the new pontiff said he wished to reach out to Jews and "believers and non-believers alike" and asked for prayers from the tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square as he assumed "this enormous task."

In one of the most symbolic moments, Benedict was given his Fisherman's Ring and a woolen pallium or shawl -- both symbols of his papal authority. The ring is emblazoned with an image of Peter casting his fishing nets and was traditionally used to seal apostolic letters. Since Tuesday, when he was elected pope, Benedict has made clear he would continue to reach out to leaders of other faiths, building on the inter-faith work of his predecessor, John Paul II.

Pope Benedict XVI takes the Papal fisherman ring from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, right, during his installment Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 24, 2005. The Papal fisherman ring was traditionally emblazed with a large seal on it that was used by the Pope to seal apostolic letters. This time the seal will be a separate piece, but the ring bears the same picture on it: the figure of St. Peter casting his net from a fisherman's boat.

The new elected Pope Benedict XVI, known as German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, blesses thousands of pilgrims from the balcony of the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, April 19, 2005.

Chilean Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez announces new Pope Benedict XVI

Georg Ratzinger, brother of the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI