The new Pope, Leo XIV, has called for the Catholic Church to “desperately” counter a lack of faith in his first mass at the Vatican.

Speaking on Friday, the day after he was elected the first US leader of the Catholic Church, he warned that people were turning to “technology, money, success, power, or pleasure” for security instead of the Church.

Pope Leo also called for cardinals to extend missionary outreach.

The ascension of Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, 69, has been widely celebrated by 1.4 billion Catholics across the world, with joyous outbursts in particular in Peru, where he was stationed for 20 years, and in his US homeland.

In his speech, the new pope said he had been elected to be a “faithful administrator” of the Church and to steer it as a “beacon” to reach areas suffering a “lack of faith”.

“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 afflict our society,” he said in Italian.

Pope Leo wore a white robe trimmed in gold as he addressed the seated cardinals in the Sistine Chapel address broadcast live by the Vatican administration.

On Thursday evening, Prevost was introduced to the world as the new Pope Leo XIV to rousing cheers from crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square.

Appearing on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, his first words to the tens of thousands of worshippers gathered outlined a vision of a “missionary” Church which “builds bridges, which holds dialogues, which is always open”.

He echoed his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, in calling for peace.

“Help us, and each other, to build bridges through dialogue, through encounter, to come together as one people, always in peace,” he said.

World leaders have rushed to congratulate Prevost on his election, pledging to work with him on global issues. US President Donald Trump called it a “great honour” to have the first American pope.

Prevost, who also holds Peruvian citizenship, only became an archbishop and then cardinal in 2023. He was elected leader by his fellow cardinals in just two days of voting in the secret conclave that took place two weeks after Francis died.

He is seen as being aligned with the late Pope, who was viewed as a progressive champion of human rights and the poor and celebrated for his charismatic style that sought to make the Catholic Church more outward-facing.

Vatican watchers have noted that Francis appeared to have brought Prevost to Rome in recent years, perhaps to set him up as a potential successor.

Pope Leo’s upcoming remarks, which include Sunday’s midday Regina Coeli prayer and a Monday press conference with journalists, will be closely scrutinised for hints as to which direction he intends to lead the Church and what kind of Pope he will be.

New York police have arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters after they occupied part of the main library at Columbia University on Wednesday.

Two university security officers were injured when protesters forced their way into Butler Library on Wednesday, according to a statement from the university president, who called activists’ actions “outrageous”.

Video posted on social media showed chanting protesters entering the library, many wearing keffiyeh headscarves and masks, defying a ban from the Trump administration that was imposed after widespread campus demonstrations last year.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the visa statuses of those involved would be reviewed.

More than 70 protesters were reportedly arrested. No one has yet been charged, and authorities have not given details about who is being held and whether they are in the US on visas.

In a post on social media, the protesters accused the university of “violent repression” and said that they had refused to show their IDs to police and campus public safety officers.

Rubio described the group as “trespassers and vandals”. He added that “pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation”, echoing Trump’s justification for his recent crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus protests.

As well as targeting prominent individuals – by revoking hundreds of international student visas and threatening deportations – Trump’s team has also taken direct aim at top-tier US universities, such as Columbia, which he accuses of failing to fight antisemitism on campus.

Videos of the latest action at the prestigious New York institution showed protesters vandalising bookshelves by writing “free Palestine”.

Another clip showed public safety officers blocking the library door’s exit and asking those inside to show their Columbia IDs or face arrest, which led to an hours- long standoff.

Claire Shipman, the Columbia president, said she had asked the New York Police Department (NYPD) for assistance on Wednesday, adding that many of the protesters involved in the latest action were not students.

“At the direct request of Columbia University, the NYPD is responding to an ongoing situation on campus where individuals have occupied a library and are trespassing,” police confirmed in a post on X.

Ms Shipman said that while the protest was isolated to one room in the library, “it is completely unacceptable that some individuals are choosing to disrupt academic activities as our students are studying and preparing for final exams”.

The Columbia president, who took over the role in March after her predecessor resigned, asked students to stay away from the library.

“We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a post on X.

It marks the first time that Columbia University has called the NYPD for an on-campus protest since April 2024, when protesters occupied Hamilton Hall for nearly 24 hours.

Columbia has drawn particular ire from Trump, who claims many universities have tolerated antisemitism and harassment of Jewish students.

The president has already threatened to withhold some $400m (£309m) in federal funding for Columbia, as his administration continues to threaten those involved in previous campus protests with deportation.

In March, Columbia agreed to several demands from the Trump administration, including a ban on face masks at protests and a change in oversight of some academic programmes, after the administration said it planned to withhold millions in federal funds.

It is unclear whether the funds will be reinstated, though a lawsuit was filed by some of the faculty members over the cuts.

Columbia was the epicentre of last year’s protests against the war in Gaza and US support for Israel. But it is not the only institution that the US government has targeted.

The administration has warned 60 universities that funding may be cancelled if allegations of antisemitism on campuses are not addressed.

On Tuesday, Trump also terminated $2.2 billion in taxpayer funds to Harvard University after ordering a review of its federal financing. The university has refused to bend to Trump’s demands.

Pro-Palestinian protest activity appears to be increasing at US colleges again, as graduation ceremonies begin and heightened attention is drawn towards campuses.

On Monday, over two dozen protesters were arrested by police in armoured gear at the University of Washington for occupying an engineering building.