'Both cross and blessing'

POPE Leo XIV, history's 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.

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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.