SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
In the Sistine Chapel this morning...
UNIDENTIFIED CHOIR: (Singing in non-English language).
DETROW: ...The newly elected pope, Leo XIV, celebrated his first public Mass as head of the Catholic Church. He also gave his first homily, a homily that could perhaps signal the direction he wants to take his papacy. Listening in was NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose, who's here with me in Rome. Hey, Jason.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Hello.
DETROW: What do you think this first public worship service led by Pope Leo says so far about what kind of leader he might be?
DEROSE: Well, much of it was, Scott, formal, of course. It was, after all, in the Vatican Sistine chapel, and cardinals processed in in their white chasubles and mitres. But Pope Leo didn't wear the red slippers that Benedict wore. Instead, he wore, rather, the black shoes that Francis wore. There were the traditional multiple Bible readings - two by women - one in English and one in Spanish. And the sermon, Scott, started in English and then switched to Italian for most of it.
DETROW: So let's talk about the homily. What did Pope Leo say?
DEROSE: Well, just before he started talking about the gospel, he did a little intro of sorts, speaking directly to the cardinals who'd elected him in that room less than 24 hours earlier.
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POPE LEO XIV: I invite you to recognize the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out upon all of us.
DEROSE: And he asked for their help carrying out his mission, which he called a blessing and a cross.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LEO XIV: 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.
DETROW: I'm just going to note for a moment that that is this American pope speaking in English in the Sistine Chapel, which is a remarkable moment in the history of the Catholic Church.
DEROSE: It is.
DETROW: But that's the English preamble to the main homily, where he then switched into Italian and - for the rest of the homily.
DEROSE: Right, and that's when it turned much more serious. Leo preached on the story from the gospel of Matthew about Jesus asking his disciple, Peter, who do people say the son of man is? He talked about how the larger, secular world punishes Christians just as it punished Jesus. Here's some of that homily with a translation from the official Vatican news service.
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LEO XIV: (Through interpreter) And so once his presence becomes irksome because of his demands for honesty and his 10 moral requirements, this world will not hesitate to reject and eliminate him.
DEROSE: But Leo said it's not just the fully secular world that rejects Jesus. It's many of his less-committed followers, too.
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LEO XIV: (Through interpreter) Yet to them, he's only a man. And therefore, in times of danger, they, too, abandon him and depart disappointed.
DETROW: Jason, do you have any thoughts on the overall message of this first homily from Pope Leo, what it's all about?
DEROSE: Frankly, Scott, I was surprised that in this introductory sermon, he had such a heavy message. This is a passage from near the end.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LEO XIV: (Through interpreter) A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violation of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.
DEROSE: He concluded with a warning about the dangers of practical atheism, this idea that people can just not talk about God at all. I'd say the homily addresses this trend we're seeing all over the world when it comes to religion. People are leaving, not coming back. Pope Leo has said he wants a missionary church that specifically goes to the places it's least wanted but perhaps, he believes, most needed.
DETROW: That is NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose here with me in Rome. Thank you so much.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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