Key Points
- Pope Leo XIV aims to illuminate the world’s “dark nights”.
- The first pope from the US faces hurdles like financial shortages and Church divisions.
- Leo has a background as a missionary in Peru.
Pope Leo XIV held his inaugural Mass in the Sistine Chapel, just a day after his election, expressing hope that his historic leadership will guide the Catholic Church to shine as a beacon during the world’s “dark nights”.
Previously known as Cardinal Robert Prevost and marking a first as an American pope, Leo appeared tranquil during the Mass in the renowned, fresco-adorned chapel where his fellow cardinals selected him as the 267th pontiff, succeeding the late .
In modest white and gold vestments, Chicago-born Leo, who spent 20 years as a missionary in Peru, addressed the congregation partly in English before smoothly delivering the rest of his sermon in Italian. He shared his vision for the Church’s spiritual journey under his leadership.
“God has bestowed this treasure upon me so that, with His aid, I might administer it faithfully for the benefit of the entire mystical Body of the Church,” he declared.
“He has done so in order that she may be ever more fully a city set on a hill, an ark of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world,” he added, according to the official translation.
The 1.4 billion-member Church derives its greatness not from “the splendor of its structures or the enormity of its edifices … but from the sanctity of its members.”
New pope’s swift appointment
Leo, 69, was elected at the end of a swift two-day conclave that was when white smoke billowed from the chimney on the chapel.
Before his election, US cardinals had largely been written off as papal contenders because of a widespread assumption that the global Church could not be run by a superpower pope.
However, he also holds Peruvian citizenship, meaning that he has deep knowledge of both the West and less developed nations.
After the Mass, Leo will have lunch with the cardinals who elected him and they will then be free to leave the Vatican and return to their homes around the world.
Following the death of Pope Francis at 88, Leo takes on significant challenges, including addressing budget deficits and tackling disagreements over the Church’s openness to the LGBT community, divorced individuals, and the potential for women to assume larger roles.
US President Donald Trump was quick to congratulate Leo. However, the new pope has a history of criticising Trump and vice president JD Vance’s policies, according to posts on the X account of Robert Prevost.
The new pope worked for decades in the north of Peru, first as a missionary and later as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. Catholics took to the streets of the small city in northwestern Peru, and church bells rang out to celebrate the election of a man who they embrace as one of their own.
One of the clues to what kind of a Church leader Leo will be was in his choice of name, something that pontiffs often use to send a signal about the priorities of their new papacy.
The last pope with this name was Leo XIII, who led the Church from 1878-1903. He was known for his devoted focus to social justice issues, and is often credited with laying the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching.
Prevost became a cardinal only in 2023. He has given few media interviews and is known to have a shy personality.
Francis brought him to Rome two years ago to head the Vatican office in charge of choosing which priests should serve as Catholic bishops across the globe, meaning he has had a hand in selecting many of the world’s bishops.
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