Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born leader of the Roman Catholic Church, pledged to champion the poor and marginalized in his inaugural Mass on Friday, signaling a continuation of his predecessor’s mission and downplaying the significance of his U.S. roots, The New York Times reported.

Pope Leo XIV presided over his first Mass as the spiritual head of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics on Friday, committing his papacy to lifting up “ordinary people” and healing the “wounds that afflict our society.”

The new pontiff’s election marks a historic moment for the American church, with Leo becoming the first Pope born in the United States. Yet the cardinals who selected him emphasized his decades of service to the poor in Peru and his high-ranking Vatican experience over his nationality.

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.