Pope Warns Against Exploitation In Inaugural Mass

Pope Leo XIV set the tone for his pontificate Sunday by calling for an end to the exploitation of the environment and the poor in front of JD Vance and tens of thousands of pilgrims.

Ten days after Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost became the first US head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, he celebrated his inaugural mass in St Peter’s Square.

The 69-year-old began the day by making his debut tour in a popemobile, standing up in the custom-made white vehicle and smiling, waving, and blessing the cheering crowds at the Vatican.

In front of dignitaries, including US Vice President Vance and Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky, he then gave a homily calling for the Church to be a transformational force in a world of division and hatred.

“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest,” he said.

The new pontiff, who spent many years as a missionary in Peru, also warned against “closing ourselves off in our small groups”.

“We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people,” he said.

Prevost, who was made a cardinal only in 2023 and is unknown to many Catholics, has repeatedly emphasised the importance of peace and social justice in his first few days as pope.

Inacia Lisboa, 71, a pilgrim from Cape Verde who lives in Rome, told AFP at the Vatican on Sunday that Leo had already “entered my heart”.

She said she wanted him to “pray for us all, for peace in the world — we need it so much”.

* First US pope –

Leo has made history as the first pontiff from the United States, and his home country was represented on Sunday by Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic.

Before becoming pope, Leo reposted on his personal X account criticism of President Donald Trump’s administration over its approach to migration and also pilloried Vance, but the account is no longer accessible.

Vance was the last world leader to meet with Pope Francis, the day before the Argentine died on April 21 after 12 years as pontiff.