Pope Leo XIV returned to the Sistine Chapel Friday to hold his first Mass after being elected to be the head of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide.
During the Mass he spoke to the Cardinals who elected him on Thursday, saying that he was ready to carry the cross of leadership.
“I invite you to recognize the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out upon all of us,” Leo told them.
“Through the ministry of Peter, you have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission.”
During his homily he called on believes not to be discouraged by those who mock, opposed and despised them, but rather continue to preach the true gospel of Christ.
“There are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure,” Pope Leo said.
“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. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed.
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.”
