Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, presided over his first Mass as leader of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics on Friday, pledging to align himself with “ordinary people” and not with the rich and powerful. He also called for missionary outreach to help heal the “wounds that afflict our society.”

The election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a native of Chicago, as pope represents a singular moment in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. But some of the cardinals who selected him said his life of service to the poor in Peru and his senior roles at the Vatican mattered far more in the conclave than his nationality.

At a news conference in Rome on Friday, some cardinals said discussion of Cardinal Prevost’s American background was, in the worlds of Cardinal Robert McElroy, the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., “almost negligible.”

The conclave was not a “continuation of the American election,” said Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C. He added, “It was a desire to strengthen the Christian faith among God’s people.”

Peruvians in the city of Chiclayo on Thursday celebrated the cardinal’s election as pope.Credit…Marco Garro for The New York Times

In Leo’s persistent advocacy for the poor, migrants and a “synodal” church that seeks input from parishioners rather than simply directing them, many people saw a continuation of his predecessor, Pope Francis, though Leo is seen as quieter and less charismatic.