Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass on Friday at Sistine Chapel, less than 24 hours ago, elected him, warning of dangers caused by a lack of faith and hope that the Catholic Church is a beacon that can illuminate the world's “dark nights.”
Leo is former Cardinal Robert Prevost and the first pope in the United States. He chose him as the successor to the 267th Pope and Pope Francis in the famous Fresced Chapel.
Leo was born in Chicago in relatively simple white and gold costumes, but served as a missionary in Peru for twenty years, saying a few words in English and then continuing to use fluent Italian as a word.
Leo, 69, drew pictures of the church he wanted to see in Homily, saying he would seek to be a “faithful administrator” of the entire church.
The new pope, who leads 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, admits that Christian faith is sometimes “considered as ridiculous” and is protected by “the weak ignorance.”
“The lack of faith is often accompanied by loss of meaning in life, neglect of compassion, shocking behavior that invades human dignity, family crises, and many other wounds that plague our society,” he said.
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Leo was scheduled to have lunch with the Cardinals, and then they will freely leave the Vatican and return homes around the world.
Quick and secret appointment
The pope was elected at the end of a two-day seat, which ended Thursday night when white smoke rolled through the chimney of Sistine Church.
Given the nature of the conclusion, when the Cardinal was shut down from the world and swore to be confidential, at least for the moment, there was little or nothing about how Leo could quickly get the two-thirds majority votes needed.
The successor of Pope Francis, who died last month, inherited many major challenges, from budget shortages to whether the church should have more popularity and divorce on the LGBT community, should allow women to play a greater role in their affairs.
He will also have an agenda filled with agenda, the Vatican celebrates the Holy Year and brings millions of tourists to Rome.
Prior to the Leo election, American cardinals were largely called pope contenders because it was widely believed that the global church could not be run by the superpower pope.
However, he also has Peruvian citizenship, which means he has a deep understanding of the West and less developed countries.
US President Donald Trump quickly congratulated Leo. But, according to Robert Prevost's X account, the new pope has a history of criticizing Trump and vice presidential policies.
Leo has worked in northern Peru for decades, first as a missionary and later as a bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. Catholics ride on the streets of small cities in northwestern Peru, and the church bells celebrate a man who embraces as his own.
Leo will be one of the clues to his name choice. The last pope of this name is Leo XIII, who led the church from 1878-1903. He is known for his focus on social justice issues.
Prevost only became a cardinal in 2023. He conducted very few media interviews and was known to be shy in personality.
Francis brought him to Rome two years ago to lead the Vatican office, responsible for selecting which priests should serve as Catholic bishops, meaning he had chosen to choose many bishops in the world.
–Written by Keith Weireting by Crispian Balmer and Frances Kerry
