New pope calls for Christian witness in world that finds faith 'absurd'

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Where Christians are "mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied" is where the Catholic Church's "missionary outreach is most desperately needed," Pope Leo XIV said in his first homily as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

Today, "there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent, settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power or pleasure," the new pope told cardinals May 9 during Mass in the Sistine Chapel.

"This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which, as Pope Francis taught us so many times, we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the savior," he said.

The day after his election, the new pope returned to the chapel where his fellow 132 cardinals elected him pope -- the first U.S. citizen, first Peruvian citizen, first Augustinian friar and likely the first Chicago White Sox fan to become pope -- to celebrate his first Mass with the College of Cardinals.

Wearing black shoes instead of the traditional red associated with the papacy and walking into the Sistine Chapel carrying Pope Benedict XIV's papal ferula, or staff, the pope processed into the chapel.

After two women read the Mass readings in English and Spanish -- a possible nod to the new pope's U.S. and Peruvian background -- he greeted the cardinals in English, marking his first public use of the language.

"Through the ministry of Peter, you have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission," he said, "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 of friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the good news, to announce the Gospel."

The Mass, largely in Latin, was celebrated at a portable altar brought into the Sistine Chapel, as opposed to the fixed altar which requires the celebrant to face East, away from the congregation.

In his homily, spoken in Italian, Pope Leo said God had called him to be a "faithful administrator" of the church so that she may be "a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world."

"And this, not so much through the magnificence of her structures or the grandeur of her buildings, like the monuments among which we find ourselves, but rather through the holiness of her members," he said, standing before Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel.

Reflecting on Jesus' question to the apostle Peter in St. Matthew's Gospel -- "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" -- Pope Leo said one might find two possible responses: the world's, which considers Jesus "a completely insignificant person" who becomes "irksome because of his demands for honesty and his stern moral requirements," and that of ordinary people, who see him as an "upright man, one who has courage, who speaks well and says the right things."

"Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent," he said. In these settings, "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," the pope said.

And in many settings in which Jesus is appreciated, the pope said, he can be "reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman."

"This is true not only among nonbelievers but also among many baptized Christians, who thus end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism," he said. "Therefore, it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'"

"I say this first of all to myself, as the successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as bishop of Rome," he said. Referencing St. Ignatius of Antioch, he said the commitment for all who exercise authority in the church is "to move aside so that Christ may remain, to make oneself small so that he may be known and glorified, to spend oneself to the utmost so that all may have the opportunity to know and love him."

Before the Mass, video footage of the pope's first hours in office circulated online. A video released by the Vatican showed him greeting the cardinals who elected him, praying alone in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace and wearing black, not red, shoes.

After his election and presentation to the faithful May 8, a video posted online showed Pope Leo returning to the Vatican residence where he had briefly lived as a cardinal before entering the conclave that elected him pope.

Greeting people who lived in the building, he posed for selfies and gave his blessing.

A girl asked the new pope to bless and sign a book; with a smile he replied: "I need to practice the signature! That old one is no good anymore." And while signing, he asked, "Today is?" to a roar of laughs to those around him.