Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first mass, cardinals leave the Vatican

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass as pontiff in the Sistine Chapel with the cardinals who elected him to succeed Pope Francis , ending the cardinals' participation, Reuters and the Associated Press reported.

The service was held in the same chapel where the papal election took place.

After the mass, a joint luncheon between Leo XIV and the cardinals began, after which they will be able to leave the Vatican and return to their homes around the world.

As Reuters notes, Pope Francis' successor inherited a number of serious challenges, ranging from the Vatican's budget deficit to disagreements over whether the church should be more welcoming to the LGBT community and the divorced, and whether it should allow women to play a greater role in society.

One clue as to what kind of church leader Leo would be was his choice of name, which pontiffs often use to send a signal about the priorities of their new papacy.

The last pope with that name was Leo XIII, who led the Church from 1878 to 1903. He was known for his devoted attention to issues of social justice, and is often credited with laying the foundations of modern Catholic social teaching.

According to the AP, Prevost has been noted for his criticism of the administration of US President Donald Trump, in particular, its migration policy.

The new pontiff has dual citizenship of the United States and Peru, where he worked for decades, first as a missionary and then as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023.

• Pope Francis died on the morning of Monday, April 21. Almost a month earlier, the pope had been discharged from hospital after a serious battle with double pneumonia . He was the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church and had held the position since March 13, 2013.
• Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost from the United States was elected as Pope Francis' successor on May 8, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.