Pope Leo XIV, the first American leader of the Catholic Church, previously known as Robert Francis Prevost, returned to the Sistine Chapel the day after his election to deliver a mass for the College of Cardinals, where he described his role as both a cross to bear and a blessing and urged church leaders to make themselves “small.”

In his advocacy of the poor, migrants and a more open church, many people see the new pope as a continuation of his predecessor.

Tens of thousands of people crammed into St Peter's Square to listen to the new Pope speak this morning. When he stepped on to the balcony he was greeted with a huge roar. As he waved there was a massive round of applause.