Pope Leo XIV, marking a significant moment as the first American leader of the Catholic Church, took to the Sistine Chapel on Friday to conduct his first Mass, addressing the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide under his guidance.
During his address, the pope encouraged outreach and missionary efforts, cautioning that the Church’s core principles, along with the belief in Jesus Christ, have diminished in regard among both followers and those outside the faith.
“Today, too, there are many settings in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman,” he said in a homily translated from Italian, warning that this has led to even baptized Christians living in “a state of practical atheism.”
Pope Leo XIV leads the Pro Ecclesia Mass in the Sistine Chapel, on May 9, 2025 in Vatican City. (Photo by Vatican Media/Vatican Pool – Corbis/Getty Images)
In his homily, the pope also pointed to a loss of faith and argued it has not only led to a loss in the meaning of life, but a loss in “human dignity.”
Pope Leo XIV leads the Pro Ecclesia Mass in the Sistine Chapel, on May 9, 2025 in Vatican City. (Photo by Vatican Media/Vatican Pool – Corbis/Getty Images)
“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,” he said.
Pope Leo went on to say that “A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”
