Pope Leo XIV warns against a lack of trust in the first mass in Vatican

The new Pope, Leo XIV, has called on the Catholic Church to “desperately” prevent a lack of confidence in his first mass in the Vatican.

On Friday, the day after he was chosen as the first American leader of the Catholic Church, he warned that people turn to “technology, money, success, power or pleasure” instead of the church.

Pope Leo also called for cardinals to expand Missionary Outreach.

The Ascension of Robert Francis Prevost, 69, is widely celebrated by 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, with joyful outbursts especially in Peru, where he was stationed for 20 years and in his American home country.

In his speech, the new pope said he had been chosen as a “loyal manager” of the church and to send it as a “beacon” to reach areas that suffer a “lack of faith”.

“A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of grace, horrible violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that affect our society,” he said in Italian.

Pope Leo wore a white robe cut into gold while he spent the sitting cardinals in the Sistine Chapel address that spent live by the Vatican Administration.

On Thursday evening, Prevost was introduced into the world as the new Pope Leo XIV to wake up from crowds collected at St Peter’s Square.

On the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, his first words to the tens of thousands of worshipers gathered a vision of a “mission church” that builds “bridges, which contains dialogues that is always open”.

He echoed his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, to evoke peace.

“Help us, and each other, to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace,” he said.

World leaders have rushed to congratulate Prevost on his election and promise to work with him on global issues. US President Donald Trump called it a “great honor” to have the first American pope.

Prevost, who also has Peruvian citizenship, only became an archbishop and then Cardinal in 2023. He was chosen by his colleague cardinals in just two days of votes in the secret conclave that took place two weeks after Francis died.

He is seen as being tailored to the late Pope, who was seen as a progressive champion of human rights and the poor and celebrated because of his charismatic style that tried to make the Catholic Church out more.

Vatican viewers have noted that Francis seemed to have brought prevost in recent years to Rome, perhaps to set him up as a potential successor.

The upcoming comments from Pope Leo, including the afternoon Regina Coeli prayer and a press conference on Monday with journalists, will be closely investigated for hints in which direction he wants to lead the church and what kind of pope he will be.