On May 9, 2025, Pope Leo XIV—formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost—celebrated his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel. In a stirring homily, he warned that many today favor “technology, money, success, power, or pleasure” over belief and urged his flock to renew their faith (Read his full address at BBC News).

Speaking the day after his election as the first American pontiff, Leo XIV said he was chosen to be a “faithful administrator” of a Church meant to shine “like a beacon that illuminates the dark nights of this world.” His words resonated across St Peter’s Square and beyond, as crowds in his hometown Chicago and in Peru—where he served for 20 years—greeted his ascension with jubilation.

During Friday’s service, Leo noted that in places where faith is deemed “absurd,” it is precisely there that the Church must reach out. “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,” he said in Italian (Full report in The Guardian).

Dressed in a white robe trimmed in gold, the 69-year-old pontiff addressed the cardinals in the Sistine Chapel—an event livestreamed by the Vatican (Watch on Vatican News YouTube). In unscripted remarks before his homily, he appealed directly to his fellow cardinals in American-accented English: “I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me.”

Just two days earlier, white smoke curled from the Vatican chimney, and Leo appeared on St Peter’s balcony to outline a “missionary” Church that “builds bridges, holds dialogue, and is always open” (See detailed analysis at Time). He echoed his predecessor Francis in calling for peace: “Help us, and each other, to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace.”

World leaders rushed to congratulate him, with President Trump calling it “a great honour” to have the first American pope (More at Reuters). Prevost—who worked for decades among the poor in Peru and was made cardinal only in 2023—now faces guiding a 1.4 billion-strong flock amid global uncertainties. Vatican observers note Francis groomed him for succession, bringing him to Rome in recent years (Background in Business Insider).

As Pope, Leo XIV inherits a Church at a crossroads, with mounting global conflicts and cultural shifts to navigate. His next public appearances—Sunday’s Regina Coeli prayer and Monday’s press conference—will offer further clues to the direction of his papacy.