The newly elected pope of the Roman Catholic Church denounced the phenomenon of Christians living according to “practical atheism” and the tendency to reduce Jesus Christ to a “charismatic leader or a Superman” during the first homily of his reign as he reflected on the obligation of the faithful to preach the Gospel in areas of the world where the teachings of Jesus Christ are rejected.
Pope Leo XIV delivered the first homily of his papacy Friday, as he celebrated mass in front of the College of Cardinals at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. During his remarks, the new pontiff lamented that there “are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for weak people or stupid people, settings where other securities are preferred like technology or money or success or power or pleasure.”
“These are contexts where it’s not easy to preach the Gospel, where it’s not easy to bear witness to the truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied,” he added. After acknowledging the difficulties of preaching the Gospel in parts of the world that are hostile to Christianity, Leo XIV maintained that the faithful had an obligation to do so nonetheless: “Precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed.”
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In addition to stating that “our belonging to the Lord leads to our bringing the good news to all,” Leo XIV homed in on the need for outreach in regions hostile to Christianity: “A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that our society suffers. Even today, there are not lacking settings in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or a Superman.”
“This is true not only among non-believers but also among many baptized Christians who thus end up living at this level in a state of practical atheism,” he asserted. Leo XIV’s comments about the contemporary world come after he highlighted the “world in which we live, with its limitations and its potential with its questions and its convictions” as an “essential aspect of the papal ministry.”
Leo XIV identified his vision of the Roman Catholic Church as “a city set on a hill, an arc of salvation sailing through the waters of history and a beacon that illumines the dark nights of the world.” He suggested that the Church can accomplish this goal “not so much through the magnificence of her structures and the grandeur of her buildings like the monuments among which we find ourselves but rather through the holiness of her members.”
“We are the people whom God has chosen as his own so that we may declare the wonderful deeds of Him, who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light,” he added.
Cardinal Robert Prevost became the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church Thursday, taking the name Leo XIV. He is the first pope from the United States. He replaces the late Pope Francis, who died nearly three weeks ago. While Prevost was born in the U.S., he has spent much of his time overseas as a missionary in Peru and is a Peruvian citizen.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
