The new Pope Leo XIV expressed regret for the decline of faith in favor of "other certainties such as technology, money, success, power" during his first liturgy as head of the Catholic Church in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

"Today, there are many contexts in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, contexts in which other certainties are preferred, such as technology, money, success, power, pleasure," he told cardinals in his homily, delivered in Italian.

"These are environments where it is not easy to witness and preach the Gospel, and where believers are ridiculed, persecuted, despised or, at best, tolerated and pitied," he added, quoted by AFP.

"And yet, precisely for this reason, the mission is urgent in these places, because the absence of faith often leads to tragedies," such as "the violation of human dignity" or "the crisis of the family," he continued.

The first American pope in history, elected on May 8 on the second day of the conclave, also expressed regret for "the context in which Jesus, although valued as a person, is reduced to something like a charismatic leader or superman."

"And this is not only among non-believers, but also among many baptized people who ultimately live at this level, in a kind of practical atheism," he emphasized.

Robert Francis Prevost, who wore black shoes like Francis, rather than red as required by papal tradition, called on the Church to be "a beacon that illuminates the nights of the world." | BGNES