Pope Leo XIV expressed his hope that his leadership will guide the Catholic Church to illuminate the “dark nights of this world” during his inaugural Mass following his election, reports RTE.
Speaking to cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel, Leo—who becomes the first pope from the United States—stated his desire to serve as a “faithful administrator” for the global Church. He emphasized that the Church’s identity should be rooted in the sanctity of its followers rather than “the grandeur of her buildings”.
He stressed the importance of reaching out to communities where faith is absent and where values such as “technology, money, success, power or pleasure” have taken precedence, reports RTE.
“Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power or pleasure… They are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed,” he declared in his first homily, just a day after becoming pope, reports RTE.
The election of Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost was confirmed yesterday after a closed conclave of cardinals inside the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. He will now lead the global Catholic population of 1.4 billion, reports RTE.
The 69-year-old returned to the sacred chapel this morning to conduct a private Mass and to deliver his first homily as pontiff.
As Leo stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica last night, tens of thousands of supporters applauded enthusiastically—even though many were unfamiliar with him, reports RTE.
A missionary in Peru for 20 years and only appointed cardinal in 2023, Leo had been listed by some Vatican analysts as a papal contender, though he lacked widespread recognition.
In the days ahead, beginning with today’s Mass and leading up to Monday’s scheduled meeting with journalists and the Sunday Regina Coeli prayer, both his actions and statements will be closely examined, reports RTE.
In his first address to the crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo echoed the words of Pope Francis, calling for unity and peace.
“Help us, and each other, to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace,” he urged, reports RTE.
“We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, which holds dialogues, which is always open,” reports RTE.
Governments around the globe responded swiftly to the news of his election as the 267th pope, pledging cooperation with the Church on major global challenges in these turbulent times.
Pope Leo steps into a pivotal role. He is expected not only to speak out on the world stage amid ongoing conflicts but also to work toward healing internal divisions within the Church and addressing unresolved issues, including the sexual abuse crisis, reports RTE.
During his time as Cardinal Prevost, the new pope was known for advocating on behalf of marginalized groups and sharing content online that criticized former U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance on immigration.
Despite that, Trump congratulated Leo on his appointment, calling it a “great honour” that an American had been chosen as pope.
The exact number of voting rounds needed to elect Pope Leo XIV remains unknown, but the conclave concluded within two days, following recent precedent, reports RTE.
The announcement came with the traditional signal of white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, prompting loud celebrations from the crowd.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Joseph Brian, a 39-year-old chef from Belfast who traveled to Rome with his mother to witness the moment. I’m not an overly religious person but, being here with all these people just blew me away,” he added, describing the jubilant atmosphere as people leaped with joy, reports RTE.
With the appointment of Cardinal Prevost, analysts observed that the cardinals chose a leader in alignment with Pope Francis’ direction—a progressive figure from Argentina who led the Church for 12 transformative years.
“He is a moderate consensus candidate who fits into a soft continuity, a gentle continuity with Pope Francis, who will not alienate conservatives,” noted Francois Mabille, a Vatican strategy expert with Paris-based think tank IRIS. At least, he has not alienated them,” reports RTE.
However, Mabille anticipated a more restrained approach compared to Pope Francis, whose candid remarks occasionally surprised his senior clergy.
“It is a posthumous success for Pope Francis, with undoubtedly some different accents and embodiment of the pontifical role,” he commented, reports RTE.
“I do not think we will find in him the sometimes divisive statements Francis had or equally virulent criticisms of liberalism,” reports RTE.
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