VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV set the tone for his papacy on Sunday with a call to stop exploiting nature and marginalising the poor at a mass attended by world dignitaries including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice-President JD Vance. Ten days after Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost became the first US head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, an estimated 200,000 people gathered to see his inaugural mass in St Peter's Square. The 69-year-old made his debut tour in a popemobile, smiling, waving energetically and blessing the cheering crowds at the Vatican.
In front of leaders including Zelensky and Vance, he then gave a homily where he called for the Church to be a transformational force in a world of division and hatred. "In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth's resources and marginalises the poorest," he said. Prevost, who was made a cardinal only in 2023 and is unknown to many Catholics, has repeatedly emphasised the importance of peace and social justice in his first few days as pope. "The martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen," Leo said during a prayer at the end of the ceremony.
Leo has made history as the first pontiff from the United States, and his home country was represented on Sunday by Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic. Vance queued up to shake Leo's hand along with the other dignitaries. He did not have a private audience scheduled for Sunday but this could still happen as he is not due to return to Washington until Monday.
Before becoming pope, Leo reposted on his personal X account criticism of US President Donald Trump's administration over its approach to migration and also pilloried Vance. On Sunday, the pope — who spent many years as a missionary in Peru — warned against "closing ourselves off in our small groups". "We are called to offer God's love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people," he said.
Leo's elevation has sparked huge enthusiasm in the United States, but also some consternation elsewhere that a country with an already outsize political and military role in the world now boasts one its foremost spiritual leaders. Other guests on Sunday included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. — AFP
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