Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first mass in the Sistine chapel on Friday, in which he was elected less than 24 hours earlier, and warned of the dangers caused by a lack of faith and hoped that the Catholic Church could be a beacon that lights the “dark nights” of the world.
Leo, the former cardinal Robert Prevost And the first US pope looked calm when he delivered the fair in the famous, frescoed chapel with the same cardinals, which had selected him as 267th Pontiff and successor to Pope Francis.
Leo, who was born in Chicago, but was spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, said a few words in English before continuing his break in fluent Italian.
In the sermon, Leo, 69, painted a picture of the church, which he would like to see, and said he would try to serve as a “loyal administrator” for the entire church.
The new Pope, who heads 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, admitted that Christian faith is sometimes considered “absurd” and the conservation of “weak and unpleasant”.
“A lack of faith is often tragic of the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, the horrific violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that operate our society,” he said.
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Leo should eat with the cardinals for lunch and they will then be free to leave the Vatican and return to their houses around the world.
Fast and secret appointment
The Pope was chosen at the end of a two -day conclave that was completed on Thursday evening when white smoke from the fireplace in the Sistine chapel weighed.
In view of the type of implied, if cardinals are switched off from the world and sworn in for confidentiality, little or nothing will probably occur for the time being, how Leo has achieved the required two third-party mentions of the votes so quickly.
The successor to Pope Francis, who died in the last month at the age of 88, inherits a number of major challenges that range from budget deficit to divisions whether the Church should be better inviting and women should play a greater role in their affairs.
He will also have a packed agenda, with the Vatican celebrating a holy year that brings millions of additional tourists to Rome.
Before the election of Leo, US cardinals had largely been written off as papal competitors, since the global church could not be guided by a superpower.
However, he also has Peruvian citizenship, which means that he has deep knowledge of both in the West and less developed nations.
US President Donald Trump congratulated Leo Schnell. However, the new Pope has a story in which Trump’s guidelines and Vice President JD Vances are criticized, according to the articles on Robert Prevost’s X report.
Leo worked in the north of Peru for decades, first as a missionary and later as a Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. The Catholics went to the streets of the small town in the northwest of Peru, and the church bells celebrated the choice of a man, whom they accept as their own.
One of the indications of how a church leader Leo will be was in his choice of name. The last Pope with this name was Leo XIII, who led the church from 1878 to 1903. He was known for his committed focus on questions of social justice.
Prevost only became a cardinal in 2023. He has given only a few media interviews and is known to be a shy personality.
Francis brought him to Rome two years ago to lead the Vatican office, which is supposed to serve as Catholic bishops for the selection of priests, which means that he was handing out when choosing many bishops in the world.
–Writing by Keith, the crispian Balmer and Frances Kerry by Crispian Balmer and Frances Kerry
