VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV vowed Sunday to work for unity in a polarized Catholic Church and world, as history’s first American pope offered a message of healing during an inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square before an estimated 200,000 pilgrims, presidents, patriarchs and princes.

Launching his papacy with a call for reconciliation and communion, Pope Leo XIV formally began his ministry as the successor of St. Peter by calling for

Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope from Chicago, could boost interest in the Catholic Church, potentially increasing religious attendance in the U.S.