Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead the Catholic Church, delivered his inaugural mass at the Sistine Chapel on Friday, addressing the global Catholic community of over 1.4 billion.

The Pontiff called for increased outreach and missionary efforts, expressing concern that faith in Jesus Christ has diminished among both believers and non-believers.

In his homily, translated from Italian, he cautioned against reducing Jesus to a mere charismatic leader, stating that this has led even baptized Christians into “a state of practical atheism.”

The Pope lamented that “the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak,” with many prioritizing “technology, money, success, power, or pleasure” instead.

The new pontiff is expected to face significant challenges, and the world awaits to see his priorities and approach.

The reason for the Pope’s choice of the name Leo remains undisclosed, though papal names typically reflect admired predecessors or values, hinting at the new Pope’s guiding principles.

Like his predecessor, Pope Francis, Pope Leo is anticipated to emphasize humanity and compassion, particularly concerning global migration and poverty alleviation.

The interaction between this American Pope and the Trump administration remains uncertain, given their differing views on migrant treatment and related matters.

The Pope’s homily emphasized that a decline in faith has resulted in not only a loss of meaning in life but also a decline in “human dignity.”

He stated that preaching the Gospel and upholding its truth is difficult in environments “where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied.”

Pope Leo continued by asserting that “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.”

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