Pope Leo says the Church must illuminate ‘dark nights of this world’ in his first Mass as the new pontiff. He told cardinals in the Sistine Chapel that he hopes his election can help the Catholic Church bring light to the “dark nights of this world”.
“In a particular way, God has called me by your election to succeed the Prince of the Apostles and has entrusted this treasure to me so that, with his help, I may be its faithful administrator for the sake of the entire mystical body of the Church. He has done so in order that she may be ever more fully a city set on a hill, an ark of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world,” He said.
The Pope has said the church must do more work in to places where there is a “lack of faith” as part of its mission.
“Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent,” he tells the cardinals.
He adds that areas where “technology, money, success, power or pleasure” are preferred are “where our missionary outreach is desperately needed”.
From his first homily, a sermon or religious speech we will get more of a sense perhaps of the focus of his papacy as he intends it.
Cardinals will then disperse and we will start to hear a little bit from them.
They’re sworn to secrecy about the process, but we’ll hear something of how they feel about this all.
Then there is management, he is a spiritual leader of course, but he is also a head of state and runs the Curia, the administration that runs the Catholic Church.
The Pope will have to start thinking about his secretary of state and his cabinet for example.
All of these things like the people he chooses to surround himself with will give us an initial insight into the direction he intends for his papacy.
(BBCNEWS)
