Pope Leo 14, newly elected, celebrated his first mass as leader of the Catholic Church on Friday, marking the beginning of a pontificate that promises to continue the social and pastoral legacy of his predecessor, Francis. In his homily, the Pontiff lamented the decline of faith in favor of “money”, “power” and “pleasure,” and summoned the church to be a “lighthouse that illuminates the nights of the world.”
“Even today, there is no shortage of contexts in which the Christian faith is considered an absurd thing, for weak and unintelligent people; contexts in which, instead, other security guards, such as technology, money, success, power and pleasure,” said Leo 14.
The Pope also warned of the danger of reducing the figure of Jesus Christ to a simple “charismatic or superman leader” in an apparent message directed not only to non-believers but also to the faithful themselves. “Even today, there is no shortage of contexts in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is simply reduced to a kind of charismatic or superman leader, and this not only among non-believers, but also among many baptisms, who end up living at this level in practical atheism,” said the Pontiff.
Born in Chicago, United States, in 1955, Robert Francis Prevost became the second pope of the Americas after Francis. Prevost has a trajectory marked by missionary work in Latin America, especially in Peru, where he was a bishop in Chiclayo and acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2015.
As Cardinal, Prevost stood out for his performance on social issues and, especially during Donald Trump’s government, suggesting continuity in the church’s posture in defense of migrants and refugees.
Leo XIV begins his pontificate with a message that echoes the social commitment of his predecessor. The defense of the most vulnerable, the care of the migrants and the call to authentic faith are themes that marked the papacy of Francis and that seem to guide the first steps of Leo 14.
