“To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God.” Pope Francis (excerpt from Inaugural Mass Homily)

Pope Celebrates Inaugural Mass – WSJ.com.VATICAN CITY—The Catholic Church’s first New World pontiff formally began his ministry Tuesday with a call for politicians, priests and others in positions of power to protect society’s weakest and poorest members.

Pope Francis was officially installed as Pontiff; The Army bought a $300 Million blimp, and now the contractor wants it back; Internet providers oppose FCC recommendations on cyber-security. Photo: Getty Images.

Standing on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis told a group of heads of state, among a crowd of tens of thousands gathered for his inaugural Mass, that secular and religious leaders must act as “custodians” for “every creation of God.”

The new pope, an Argentine Jesuit elected last week to lead the scandal-tarnished church, has moved swiftly to set a more humble tone for the papacy, departing from some of the customary pomp and fueling hopes for change in Rome.

Tuesday’s Mass, a deeply symbolic event watched closely by the clergy as well as those in the pews, signaled Pope Francis’ intention to focus on serving the disadvantaged—as well as his desire to readjust the priorities of the church hierarchy.

“I’d like to ask, please, to anyone who is in charge of the economy, politics, society—to all men and women of good will—let’s be custodians of creation and of the design of God inscribed in nature—custodian of others and of the environment,” the pope said.