SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Pope Leo XIV has warned of a “desperate” crisis of faith in his first mass as head of the Catholic Church, urging the global institution to respond to rising secularism and to serve as a moral beacon amid growing reliance on materialism and technology.
Speaking in the Sistine Chapel on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after being elected as the 267th pontiff, Leo said the Catholic Church must renew its missionary outreach and confront what he described as a cultural shift away from God and towards “technology, money, success, power, or pleasure”.
Pope Leo XIV conducts mass with the College of Cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel.Credit: AP
“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, delivering his sermon in Italian to the College of Cardinals.
Having addressed the crowd in St Peter’s Square in Italian and Spanish he turned to his native English to address the cardinals who elected him: “I know I can rely on each and everyone of you to walk with me as we continue as a church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers to announce the good news, to announce the gospel.”
He also warned against reducing Jesus to “a kind of charismatic leader or superman”, in an apparent message to evangelical Christians.
The 69-year-old, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is the first American ever elected pope and the latest non-European to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. His selection was confirmed on Thursday evening after four rounds of conclave voting following the death of Pope Francis.
In his first remarks from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, Leo said he envisioned a “missionary” church that “builds bridges” through dialogue and openness. “Help us, and each other, to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace,” he said to cheering crowds in St Peter’s Square.
During Friday’s mass, the new pontiff wore a white papal robe trimmed in gold and addressed his fellow cardinals – dressed in red caps and white robes – under Michelangelo’s ceiling in a ceremony broadcast live by the Vatican. In an unscripted preface to his homily, he urged unity within the church hierarchy: “I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me,” he said in English.
Leo XIV, an Augustinian missionary by formation, previously served for two decades in Peru, where he was bishop of Chiclayo and obtained citizenship in 2015. His election was met with celebration both in his native United States and in Latin America, with bells ringing in churches and spontaneous street celebrations marking the historic moment.
The new pontiff addresses his cardinals on Friday.Credit: AP
He was brought to Rome by Pope Francis in 2023 and quickly elevated to cardinal, a move now seen by Vatican analysts as preparing the ground for his succession. Francis, who died last month, had championed reforms aimed at decentralising church authority and aligning Catholic teaching more closely with issues of social justice and poverty.
Leo is seen as broadly aligned with Francis’s theological and pastoral priorities, though his previous criticisms of conservative US policies – such as immigration restrictions under the Trump administration – suggest he may not shy away from political engagement. Earlier this year, he publicly disagreed with Vice President J.D. Vance over comments on Christian love, writing: “Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
His election marks a significant geographic shift for the Vatican, with leadership moving further from its traditional European base. It also places Leo XIV at the helm of a church facing declining attendance in the West, ongoing abuse scandals, and growing ideological divides.
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