Leo XIV celebrates first mass as the new Pope

POPE Leo XIV, the first North American Pope, has said his election was both a cross and a blessing as he celebrated his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel.

- NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

Leo spoke off-the-cuff in English to the cardinals who elected him to lead the Catholic Church and follow in Pope Francis’ footsteps over social justice. 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.

“You have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me as we continue as a church, as a community, as friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the good news to announce the Gospel,” he said.

It was in the same frescoed chapel that Leo, the Chicago-born Augustinian missionary Robert Prevost, 69, was elected on Thursday afternoon as the 267th Pope, overcoming the traditional prohibition against a pontiff from the United States.

Leo will be formally installed as pope at a Mass on May 18, the Vatican said on Friday, and will preside over his first general audience on May 21.