Pope Leo hopes to bring light to "dark nights of this world"

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States delivers the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world) message from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Leo said on Friday he hoped that his election can help the Catholic Church bring light to the "dark nights of this world" as he delivered his first Mass since being elected on Thursday.

Leo, the first pope from the U.S., told cardinals in the Sistine Chapel that he hoped to be a "faithful administrator" for the entire Church, and added that the Church should identify itself through the holiness of its members and not "the grandeur of her buildings".

(Reporting by Philip Pullella and Joshua McElwee; Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Crispian Balmer)