Pope Leo XIV said he hoped to lead a Roman Catholic Church “that illuminates the dark nights of this world” as he held his first Mass as pontiff in the Sistine Chapel.
Leo began his homily on Friday during the Mass with cardinals in English, before switching to Italian. In the English passage he echoed words from the psalms, saying “I will sing a new song to the Lord, because he has done marvels.
“Not just with me,” he continued. “But with all of us, my brother cardinals, as we celebrate this morning, I invite you to recognise the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out upon all of us.”
Switching to Italian, he said he hoped the church could “illuminate the dark nights of this world”. He said he would be a “faithful administrator” of the church, and that it should be judged by the holiness of its members and not “the grandeur of her buildings”.
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In a later passage referring to evangelisation, Leo said there were many settings in which the Christian faith was considered “absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.”
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He added: “These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed.”
He said that often the figure of Jesus is “reduced only to a kind of charismatic leader or superman,” and warned that this was not just among non-believers, but even among the baptised, who he said ended up living their lives in “de facto atheism”.
The pope and the 132 cardinals from all over the world who elected him will have lunch following the Mass, after which the cardinals will be free to return home.
Pope Leo’s formal inauguration Mass to mark his appointment will take place in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, May 18th, the Vatican said in a statement on Friday.
The new pope will hold his first general audience on May 21st.
Today’s service comes a day after his historic election as the first North American pope in the church’s 2,000-year history.
On Thursday, Cardinal Robert Prevost emerged on to the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, following the conclave and the appearance of white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signalling that a new pontiff has been chosen.
His election overcame the traditional prohibition against a pope from the United States.
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The New York Times said the decision defied “a longstanding belief that church leaders would never select a pope from a global superpower that already has considerable influence in world affairs.”
President Donald Trump had swiftly congratulated Leo on becoming the first US pope: “What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
However, the new pope has a history of criticising Mr Trump and vice-president JD Vance’s policies, according to posts on the X account of Robert Prevost.
Leo, a 69-year-old Chicago-born Augustinian missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, wore the traditional red cape – which Pope Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013 – suggesting a return to some degree of rule-following after Francis’s unorthodox pontificate.
Leo’s first words to the crowds below – “Peace be with you” – emphasised a message of dialogue and missionary evangelisation. He spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish, but not English.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni had said Leo XIV will celebrate Mass on Friday morning at 11am local time (9am) with cardinals in the Sistine Chapel.
He plans to deliver his first Sunday noon blessing from the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica.
Leo also plans to hold an audience with the media on Monday in the Vatican auditorium.
The election of Pope Leo XIV has been celebrated across Latin America, where many hailed him as the second pontiff from the region, after his Argentinian predecessor, Francis.
The news prompted particular elation in Peru, where he lived and worked for more than 20 years and was granted citizenship in 2015.
In the capital, Lima, the bells of the cathedral rang in celebration.
Peru’s president, Dina Boluarte, hailed the “historic” election of Leo, whom she described as a Peruvian “by choice and conviction” who had devoted more than 20 years of service to the country. – Agencies
