Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass as pope and calls his election both a cross and a blessing
Pope Leo XIV, history's first US-born pontiff, said on Friday that his election was both a cross to bear and a blessing as he celebrated his first Mass as the head of the Catholic Church.
Leo spoke off-the-cuff in English in the Sistine Chapel to the cardinals who elected him to follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis, who put a commitment to social justice at the core of his papacy.
He acknowledged the great responsibility they had placed on him before delivering a brief but dense homily on the need to joyfully spread Christianity in a world that often mocks it.
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV concelebrates Mass with the College of Cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican the day after his election as 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Friday, May 9, 202...