Pope Leo XIV at 1st Mass says "We are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour..." in the Sistine Chapel with the Cardinals VIDEO
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The morning of May 9th, after being elected the 267th Pope, Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass with the Cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel,
"We are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Christ the Saviour..."
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Pope Leo XIV at his first Mass as Pope on Friday, 9 May 2025, with the Cardinal electors and other Cardinals present in Rome, in the Sistine Chapel, the exact site where the electors, with at least a two-thirds majority, elected him as the 267th Pope on the fourth ballot on Thursday, May 8th, in the afternoon.
But I want to repeat the words from the Responsorial Psalm: “I will sing a new song to the Lord, because he has done marvels.”
And indeed, not just with me but with all of us. My brother Cardinals, as we celebrate this morning, I invite you to recognize the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out on all of us through the Ministry of Peter.
You have called me to carry that cross, and to be blessed with that mission, 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.
"I want to repeat the words from the Responsorial Psalm: 'I will sing a new song to the Lord, because He has done marvels,' and indeed, not just with me but with all of us.
"My brother Cardinals, as we celebrate this morning," he encouraged them, "I invite you to reflect on the marvels the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out on all of us through the Ministry of Peter.
"You have called me to carry that cross, and to carry out that mission, 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," he said.
Pope Leo's homily, which he then spoke in Italian, was focused on St. Peter, the first Pope, recalling his words in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," in order to illustrate that patrimony, made possible by persistent faith in the Lord, "that the Church, through the apostolic succession, has preserved, deepened and handed on for two thousand years."
He noted Peter's relationship with Christ, the Pope recalled that Jesus, our Saviour, alone reveals the face of the Father.
"In Him, God, in order to make Himself close and accessible to men and women," he underscored, "revealed Himself to us in the trusting eyes of a child, in the lively mind of a young person and in the mature features of a man, finally appearing to His disciples after the Resurrection with His glorious body."
In this way, the Pope said, "He showed us a model of human holiness that we can all imitate, together with the promise of an eternal destiny that transcends all our limits and abilities."
“Jesus showed us a model of human holiness that we can all imitate, together with the promise of an eternal destiny that transcends all our limits and abilities”
The Pope noted that Peter, in his response, understood that it is both "a gift of God" as well as "the path to follow in order to allow himself to be changed by that gift," and affirmed that "they are inseparable aspects of salvation entrusted to the Church to be proclaimed for the good of the human race."
"Indeed," Pope Leo XIV said, "they are entrusted to us, who were chosen by Him before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs, reborn in the waters of Baptism and, surpassing our limitations and with no merit of our own, brought here and sent forth from here, so that the Gospel might be proclaimed to every creature."
The new Pope recalled that God called him, with his election as the 267th Pope yesterday afternoon, to succeed Peter, and, as such, "has entrusted this treasure to me so that, with his help, I may be its faithful administrator for the sake of the entire mystical Body of the Church. "
Peter, the Pope remembered, makes his profession of faith in reply to a specific question, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”'
This question, Pope Leo highlighted, is not insignificant and concerns "an essential aspect of our ministry, namely, the world in which we live, with its limitations and its potential, its questions and its convictions."
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” the new Holy Father repeated, noting, "If we reflect on the scene we are considering, we might find two possible answers, which characterize two different attitudes."
First, Pope Leo said, there was the response of the world, which "will not hesitate to reject and eliminate Him" once "His presence becomes irksome" also because of "His stern moral requirements."
Then there is the other possible response to Jesus’ question, that of ordinary people, who see Him "as an upright man of courage"; but to them "He is only a man, and therefore, in times of danger, during His passion, they too abandon Him and depart disappointed."
Concerning these two attitudes, the Pope said, is their relevance today, for, they, the Holy Father acknowledged, embody notions that we could easily find on the lips of many men and women in our own time, even if, while essentially identical, they are expressed in different language.
"Even today," he warned, "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."
These are contexts, he highlighted, "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."
"Yet, precisely for this reason," he said, "they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed."
"A lack of faith," Pope Leo underscored, "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."
Today, he observed, "there are many settings in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman."
Acknowledging this happens "not only among non-believers but also among many baptized Christians," Pope Leo warned that, as such, they "end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism."
With this in mind, Pope Leo reassured them, "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 Christ the Saviour."
"Therefore," he continued, "it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'"
He said it is essential to do this, first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a "daily journey of conversion."
As a Church, we are to do the same, he reminded them, "experiencing together our fidelity to the Lord and bringing the Good News to all."
"I say this first of all to myself, as the Successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as Bishop of Rome," he expressed, sharing that he does so according to the well-known expression of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, "to preside in charity over the universal Church."
He recalled that "Saint Ignatius, who was led in chains to this city, the place of his impending sacrifice, wrote to the Christians there: 'Then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world no longer sees my body.'”
"Ignatius," Pope Leo explained, "was speaking about being devoured by wild beasts in the arena – and so it happened," he clarified, adding, "But, his words apply more generally to an indispensable commitment for all those in the Church who exercise a ministry of authority."
Specifically, he noted, that commitment "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."
Pope Leo XIV concluded his homily by praying, "May God grant me this grace, today and always, through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church."
Pope Leo XIV at his first Mass as Pope on Friday, 9 May 2025, with the Cardinal electors and other Cardinals present in Rome, in the Sistine Chapel, the exact site where the electors, with at least a two-thirds majority, elected him as the 267th Pope on the fourth ballot on Thursday, May 8th, in the afternoon.
HOLY MASS PRO ECCLESIA CELEBRATED BY THE ROMAN PONTIFF WITH THE CARDINALS
FULL TEXT HOMILY of Pope Leo XVI
I will begin with a word in English, and the rest is in Italian.FULL TEXT HOMILY of Pope Leo XVI
_______________________________________
But I want to repeat the words from the Responsorial Psalm: “I will sing a new song to the Lord, because he has done marvels.”
And indeed, not just with me but with all of us. My brother Cardinals, as we celebrate this morning, I invite you to recognize the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out on all of us through the Ministry of Peter.
You have called me to carry that cross, and to be blessed with that mission, 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.
From here, in Italian.
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16). With these words Peter, questioned by the Master, together with the other disciples, about his faith in Him, sums up the heritage that for two thousand years the Church, through apostolic succession, has preserved, deepened and transmitted.
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, that is, the only Savior and the revealer of the face of the Father.
In Him, God, to make himself close and accessible to men, revealed himself to us in the trusting eyes of a child, in the lively mind of a young man, in the mature features of a man (cf. Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 22), until he appeared to his own, after the resurrection, with his glorious body. He thus showed us a model of holy humanity that we can all imitate, together with the promise of an eternal destiny that instead surpasses all our limits and capacities.
Peter, in his response, captures both of these things: the gift of God and the path to follow in order to be transformed by it, inseparable dimensions of salvation, entrusted to the Church so that she may proclaim them for the good of the human race. Entrusted to us, chosen by Him before we were formed in the womb (cf. Jer 1:5), regenerated in the water of Baptism and, beyond our limits and without our merit, brought here and sent from here, so that the Gospel may be proclaimed to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15).
In particular, God, calling me through your vote to succeed the First of the Apostles, entrusts this treasure to me so that, with His help, I may be its faithful administrator (cf. 1 Cor 4:2) for the benefit of the entire Mystical Body of the Church; so that She may increasingly be a city set on a mountain (cf. Rev 21:10), an ark of salvation that navigates through the waves of history, a lighthouse that illuminates the nights of the world. And this is not so much thanks to the magnificence of its structures and the grandeur of its constructions – such as the monuments in which we find ourselves –, but through the sanctity of its members, of that “people that God has acquired for himself so that you may proclaim the wonderful works of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Pt 2:9).
However, at the root of the conversation in which Peter makes his profession of faith, there is also another question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13). It is not a trivial question, rather it concerns an important aspect of our ministry: the reality in which we live, with its limits and its potential, its questions and its convictions.
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13). Thinking about the scene on which we are reflecting, we could find two possible answers to this question, which outline as many attitudes.
First of all, there is the world’s response. Matthew emphasizes that the conversation between Jesus and his followers about his identity takes place in the beautiful town of Caesarea Philippi, full of luxurious palaces, nestled in an enchanting natural setting, at the foot of Mount Hermon, but also home to cruel circles of power and a scene of betrayal and infidelity. This image speaks to us of a world that considers Jesus a person totally unimportant, at most a curious character, who can arouse wonder with his unusual way of speaking and acting. And so, when his presence becomes annoying because of the demands of honesty and the moral demands that it calls for, this “world” will not hesitate to reject and eliminate him.
Then there is the other possible response to Jesus’ question: that of the common people. For them, the Nazarene is not a “charlatan”: he is an upright man, someone who has courage, who speaks well and who says the right things, like other great prophets in the history of Israel. For this reason they follow him, at least as long as they can do so without too many risks and inconveniences. However, they consider him only a man, and therefore, in the moment of danger, during the Passion, they too abandon him and go away, disappointed.
What is striking about these two attitudes is their topicality. In fact, they embody ideas that we could easily find – perhaps expressed in different language, but identical in substance – on the lips of many men and women of our time.
Even today, there are many contexts in which the Christian faith is considered an absurd thing, for weak and unintelligent people; contexts in which other securities are preferred to it, such as technology, money, success, power, pleasure.
The new US-born Pope began with a few words in English, in which he thanked the Cardinal electors for their trust in him."I want to repeat the words from the Responsorial Psalm: 'I will sing a new song to the Lord, because He has done marvels,' and indeed, not just with me but with all of us.
"My brother Cardinals, as we celebrate this morning," he encouraged them, "I invite you to reflect on the marvels the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out on all of us through the Ministry of Peter.
"You have called me to carry that cross, and to carry out that mission, 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," he said.
Pope Leo's homily, which he then spoke in Italian, was focused on St. Peter, the first Pope, recalling his words in the Gospel according to St. Matthew: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," in order to illustrate that patrimony, made possible by persistent faith in the Lord, "that the Church, through the apostolic succession, has preserved, deepened and handed on for two thousand years."
He noted Peter's relationship with Christ, the Pope recalled that Jesus, our Saviour, alone reveals the face of the Father.
"In Him, God, in order to make Himself close and accessible to men and women," he underscored, "revealed Himself to us in the trusting eyes of a child, in the lively mind of a young person and in the mature features of a man, finally appearing to His disciples after the Resurrection with His glorious body."
In this way, the Pope said, "He showed us a model of human holiness that we can all imitate, together with the promise of an eternal destiny that transcends all our limits and abilities."
“Jesus showed us a model of human holiness that we can all imitate, together with the promise of an eternal destiny that transcends all our limits and abilities”
The Pope noted that Peter, in his response, understood that it is both "a gift of God" as well as "the path to follow in order to allow himself to be changed by that gift," and affirmed that "they are inseparable aspects of salvation entrusted to the Church to be proclaimed for the good of the human race."
"Indeed," Pope Leo XIV said, "they are entrusted to us, who were chosen by Him before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs, reborn in the waters of Baptism and, surpassing our limitations and with no merit of our own, brought here and sent forth from here, so that the Gospel might be proclaimed to every creature."
The new Pope recalled that God called him, with his election as the 267th Pope yesterday afternoon, to succeed Peter, and, as such, "has entrusted this treasure to me so that, with his help, I may be its faithful administrator for the sake of the entire mystical Body of the Church. "
Peter, the Pope remembered, makes his profession of faith in reply to a specific question, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”'
This question, Pope Leo highlighted, is not insignificant and concerns "an essential aspect of our ministry, namely, the world in which we live, with its limitations and its potential, its questions and its convictions."
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” the new Holy Father repeated, noting, "If we reflect on the scene we are considering, we might find two possible answers, which characterize two different attitudes."
First, Pope Leo said, there was the response of the world, which "will not hesitate to reject and eliminate Him" once "His presence becomes irksome" also because of "His stern moral requirements."
Then there is the other possible response to Jesus’ question, that of ordinary people, who see Him "as an upright man of courage"; but to them "He is only a man, and therefore, in times of danger, during His passion, they too abandon Him and depart disappointed."
Concerning these two attitudes, the Pope said, is their relevance today, for, they, the Holy Father acknowledged, embody notions that we could easily find on the lips of many men and women in our own time, even if, while essentially identical, they are expressed in different language.
"Even today," he warned, "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."
These are contexts, he highlighted, "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."
"Yet, precisely for this reason," he said, "they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed."
"A lack of faith," Pope Leo underscored, "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."
Today, he observed, "there are many settings in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman."
Acknowledging this happens "not only among non-believers but also among many baptized Christians," Pope Leo warned that, as such, they "end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism."
With this in mind, Pope Leo reassured them, "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 Christ the Saviour."
"Therefore," he continued, "it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'"
He said it is essential to do this, first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a "daily journey of conversion."
As a Church, we are to do the same, he reminded them, "experiencing together our fidelity to the Lord and bringing the Good News to all."
"I say this first of all to myself, as the Successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as Bishop of Rome," he expressed, sharing that he does so according to the well-known expression of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, "to preside in charity over the universal Church."
He recalled that "Saint Ignatius, who was led in chains to this city, the place of his impending sacrifice, wrote to the Christians there: 'Then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world no longer sees my body.'”
"Ignatius," Pope Leo explained, "was speaking about being devoured by wild beasts in the arena – and so it happened," he clarified, adding, "But, his words apply more generally to an indispensable commitment for all those in the Church who exercise a ministry of authority."
Specifically, he noted, that commitment "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."
Pope Leo XIV concluded his homily by praying, "May God grant me this grace, today and always, through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church."
These are environments in which it is not easy to bear witness to and proclaim the Gospel and where those who believe are mocked, opposed, despised, or at most tolerated and pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are places where the mission is urgently needed, because the lack of faith often brings with it tragedies such as the loss of the meaning of life, the forgetting of mercy, the violation of the dignity of the person in its most dramatic forms, the crisis of the family and many other wounds from which our society suffers and not a little.
Even today there is no shortage of contexts in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced only to a kind of charismatic leader or superman, and this not only among non-believers, but also among many baptized people, who thus end up living, at this level, in a de facto atheism.
This is the world that is entrusted to us, in which, as Pope Francis has taught us so many times, we are called to bear witness to the joyful faith in Christ the Savior. Therefore, for us too, it is essential to repeat: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).
It is essential to do so first of all in our personal relationship with Him, in the commitment of a daily journey of conversion. But then also, as a Church, living together our belonging to the Lord and bringing the Good News to all (cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 1).
I say this first of all for myself, as the Successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as Bishop of the Church in Rome, called to preside in charity over the universal Church, according to the famous expression of Saint Ignatius of Antioch (cf. Letter to the Romans, Greeting). He, led in chains to this city, the place of his imminent sacrifice, wrote to the Christians who were there: “Then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world no longer sees my body” (Letter to the Romans, IV, 1). He was referring to being devoured by wild beasts in the circus – and so it happened –, but his words recall in a more general sense an indispensable commitment for anyone in the Church who exercises a ministry of authority: to disappear so that Christ remains, to make oneself small so that He may be known and glorified (cf. Jn 3:30), to spend oneself completely so that no one lacks the opportunity to know and love him.
May God give me this grace, today and always, with the help of the most tender intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church.
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