Pope Leo XIV live updates: Cardinal says Leo will be ‘darn good Pope’ as White House downplays Trump tensions

Pope Leo XIV touched on faith, power and corruption in the homily of the first Mass he celebrated after being elected pontiff.

In impeccable Italian, Leo decried that in today’s world “there are many contexts in which the Christian faith is considered something absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Contexts where other certainties are preferred, such as technology, money, success, power, pleasure.

“These are environments where it is not easy to bear witness to, and announce, the Gospel, and where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied.

“Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where mission is urgently needed. Because the lack of faith often carries with it tragedies such as the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, violations of human dignity in the most dramatic manners, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”

The election of American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has come as a surprise, Catholic priest and blogger Ed Tomlinson said.

“It seems likely to be a continuation of Francis’s liberalisation,” he told The Independent.

As for his choice of Papal name, Tomlinson said it had a long history.

“The papal name Leo unsurprisingly shows a Pope who is going to be strong during a time of crisis, historically,” he said.

The last pope to choose the name Leo was more than 100 years ago. Pope Leo XIII led the Church from 1878 to 1903. The first pope of the name, Pope Leo the Great, led the church from 440-461.

Pope Leo XI had one of the shortest pontificates in history, lasting less than a month – from 1 April 1605 until his death on 27 April 1605.

The owner of Pope Leo XIV’s childhood Chicago home quickly pulled the listing Thursday after hearing that Robert Prevost had been elected pope, according to Curbed.

Pope Leo’s home where he grew up with his two brothers in Dolton, Illinois, had been for sale for $199,900.

Now, that figure could change according to the listing agent Steve Budzik, who said the house could even become a “museum or viewing center.”

“Every idea’s up in the air right now,” he told the outlet.

The new Pope is a “citizen of the world” and the moment he accepted his election inside the secret conclave meeting brought “elation”, a cardinal who was there has said.

The leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, spoke of a “quite remarkable spirit of fraternity” during the time he and 132 others were sequestered away from the world to elect the new leader.

Cardinal Nichols, who is the Archbishop of Westminster, described Pope Leo XIV as gentle and calm, as well as decisive and unifying.

He told reporters in Rome: “He’s been a teacher, he’s been a diocesan bishop, he’s been a member of the Roman Curia.

“That’s a combination of talents that, I think, once it emerged and we’d reflected on the life of the Church, made it pretty clear that here was a man who was bringing the right depth and breadth of experience to the papacy.”

The conclave to elect Pope Leo XIV was “fraternal” in atmosphere without the high drama of the award-winning film of the same name, a cardinal on the inside has said.

Conclave, released late last year just months before the real-life secret meeting of cardinals in Rome this week, imagined the tension, bureaucracy, twists and turns behind the secret meeting to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church.

But Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of Catholics in England and Wales who was taking part in his first conclave, insisted reality could not have been further from the silver screen drama.

White Sox fans were celebrating Pope Leo XIV at a baseball game in the city on Friday.

The team’s official X account shared a photo of a fan dressed as a pope in tribute to the pontiff, who is a Sox fan.

“Proud moment for Chicago,” White Sox manager Will Venable said before Friday night’s game against Miami. “It’s awesome.”

It was initially reported that the new pope was a Cubs fan. The team congratulated Pope Leo XIV in a post on X that had a picture of Wrigley Field’s iconic marquee with the message: HEY, CHICAGO. HE’S A CUBS FAN!

It’s the biggest victory for the struggling Chicago White Sox in a long time.

Pope Leo XIV is a White Sox fan — and the organization is embracing the news.

His brother, John Prevost, said the Chicago-born missionary cheered for the White Sox.

“Proud moment for Chicago,” White Sox manager Will Venable said before Friday night’s game against Miami. “It’s awesome.”

It was initially reported that the new pope was a Cubs fan. The team congratulated Pope Leo XIV in a post on X that had a picture of Wrigley Field’s iconic marquee with the message: HEY, CHICAGO. HE’S A CUBS FAN!

Were Donald Trump’s ears burning as the cardinals gathered in conclave at the Sistine Chapel? Is it inconceivable that the president’s name was uttered in hushed tones in some corner of the historic sanctuary, under Michelangelo’s Adam, to sway a vote in favor of an American?

It’s of course a liberal fantasy to think that Pope Leo XIV was elected head of the ancient Catholic Church to handle the fleeting earthly man in the White House, but President Trump will nonetheless have to reckon with a fellow American, a leader on the world stage, who has spoken out against his policies and will likely continue to do so from perhaps the only bully pulpit to rival the Resolute Desk, writes Richard Hall.

Read the full sketch below.