ROME — Pope Leo XIV presided over his first Mass as leader of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics on Friday, pledging to align himself with “ordinary people” and against the rich and powerful, and calling for missionary outreach to help heal the “wounds that afflict our society.”

The election of Leo, the first pope born in the United States, represents a singular moment in the history of the American church. But some of the cardinals who elected him said his life of service to the poor in Peru and to the church in senior roles at the Vatican mattered far more in the conclave than his nationality.

“It matters a lot that we have a pope and a spiritual leader whose heart is for migrants,” Cardinal Pablo Virgilio Siongco David of the Philippines said at a news conference. “And I think he will sustain the direction of Pope Francis.”

The morning after his surprise election, Leo returned to the Sistine Chapel to say his first Mass as pope. Evoking the teachings of Francis, his predecessor, he delivered a homily rich in theological references and said that a loss of religious faith had contributed to “appalling violations of human dignity” around the world.

He will soon confront urgent questions about the church’s direction. Addressing a crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday, he spoke of “building bridges” but gave little overt indication of how he would govern the church.

Here’s what else to know:

Who Is Pope Leo XIV?

Despite his American roots, Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, transcends borders. He served for two decades in Peru, where he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen, and then was appointed to one of the most influential posts at the Vatican by Francis, who made him a cardinal in 2023.

Why Leo?

A new pope’s choice of his papal name is always cloaked in symbolism. In Leo’s case, it may also have been a clear and deliberate reference to the last Leo, who led during a difficult time for the Roman Catholic Church and helped usher it into the modern world.

Papal Path

While the selection of an American pope was a shock to some, many other parts of Leo’s background make his election less surprising. For the past two years, he led the Vatican office that selects and oversees the more than 5,000 Roman Catholic bishops around the world, giving him Vatican connections and an important say in the church’s direction.

An Augustinian Pope

The new pope has spent most of his life as a friar in the Order of St. Augustine. Experts said that a commitment to two elements of Augustinian teaching — missionary outreach and listening widely before taking decisions — could shape his approach to the papacy.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Jason Horowitz, Emma Bubola and Elizabeth Dias/Gianni Cipriano
c. 2025 The New York Times Company