New Pope Leo XIV vows to bring light to the world’s “dark nights”

Pope Leo XIV held his first Mass on Friday, the 9th of May, in the Sistine Chapel, where he was elected less than 24 hours earlier, and prayed that his papacy would help the Catholic Church become a beacon to light up “the dark nights of this world”, reports Reuters.
Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost and first US pope, appeared calm as he said the Mass in the Sistine Chapel with the cardinals who had elected him to succeed Pope Francis as the 267th pope.
Leo said a few words in English before continuing his homily in fluent Italian. He gave a spiritual picture of the Church he would like to see during his papacy.
He said that he would strive to serve as a “faithful administrator” of the whole Church, so that the Church may become “a beacon to light up the dark nights of this world”.
The Church is great not “because of the splendour of its buildings or the grandeur of its buildings … but because of the holiness of its members”, he added.
The new Pope, who will lead 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, acknowledged that the Christian faith is sometimes “considered absurd” and the privilege of “weak and unwise people”.
“Lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by a loss of meaning in life, a disregard for mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, family crises and many other wounds that afflict our societies,” he said.
Leo, 69, was elected in a smooth two-day conclave that ended on Thursday evening with white smoke billowing from the chimney of the chapel.
Before his election, US cardinals were largely written off as contenders for the papacy because of the assumption that the world Church could not be led by a pope from a major power. However, he also has Peruvian citizenship, which means he has knowledge of both the West and less developed countries.
US President Donald Trump was quick to congratulate Leo on his success. However, the new Pope has criticised the policies of Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the past, according to posts on Robert Prevost’s X account.
One of the clues to what kind of a Pope Leo would be was his choice of name. Popes often choose a name to indicate what they care about most.
The last Pope to have this name was Leo XIII, who led the Church from 1878 to 1903. He was renowned for his commitment to social justice. He is often credited with laying the foundations of modern Catholic social teaching.
Prevost only became a cardinal in 2023. He has given few interviews to the media and is known as a shy man.