The pontiff said he would face up to "the questions, concerns and challenges of today’s world" and, in a nod to conservatives, he promised to preserve "the rich heritage of the Christian faith," repeatedly calling for unity.

VATICAN CITY — Jewish leaders got up-front seats at Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration Mass . An American rabbi there and other representatives saw that as a hopeful sign for an upswing of Catholic-Jewish relations under the first U.S.-born pontiff , after a strained relationship with his predecessor.