Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States, delivered a passionate appeal for renewed missionary zeal during his first homily as pontiff on Friday, highlighting the growing global indifference to faith and the urgent need for the Church to respond.
Addressing fellow cardinals from the altar of the Sistine Chapel—backdropped by Michelangelo’s towering depiction of The Last Judgment—the 69-year-old pontiff urged the Catholic Church to intensify its outreach in environments where faith is fading or under attack.
“There are places or situations where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied,” he said. “Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed.”
Pope Leo, the first American to lead the Catholic Church in its over two-millennia history, was elected Thursday in a closed conclave of cardinals following the end of Pope Francis’ historic tenure. A native of Chicago, Leo XIV brings to the papacy a deep background in missionary service, particularly in Latin America, where he spent decades in Peru.
Wearing a white robe with gold trim, the pope addressed his audience in Italian, warning of cultural settings where Christian belief is increasingly dismissed or ridiculed. “There are settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent,” he said, lamenting the modern shift toward materialism and individualism. “People are turning to technology, money, success, power, or pleasure.”
He further linked this spiritual void to broader social breakdowns. “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.”
In what appeared to be a nod to other Christian denominations and internal Church reflection, Leo cautioned against reducing Jesus to “a kind of charismatic leader or superman,” a misinterpretation he said exists even among baptised Christians, leading to what he described as “practical atheism.”
In a brief unscripted message in English before his prepared remarks, Pope Leo also called for unity within the Church’s leadership, telling his fellow cardinals: “I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me.”
The selection of a pope from the United States—an unprecedented development in Church history—has drawn widespread attention and commentary. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera noted, “A pope from the United States is almost more surprising than an Argentine and Jesuit pope,” referencing Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, the first pontiff from the Americas.
Pope Leo XIV now steps into leadership of a global Church with 1.4 billion members, many of whom will be watching closely as he sets the tone for his papacy amid mounting secularism, internal tensions, and a rapidly evolving world.
